Second Chances
by MadisonElise
Summary: Bonnie thought everything was over when she became a ghost. Once again, she was proven wrong. This was only the beginning.
1. Missing

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries.**

**A/N: This story follows after 4x23. It will contain mature themes and will most likely get a bit graphic. **

Missing

Bonnie supposed the Other Side could be likened to being in a reverie. A daydream of sorts. When one just wakes up, and the world remains hazy for just a moment. She could focus on individual people but the attention to surrounding details no longer applied when you were there, or of it did, it didn't seem to have significance anymore.

Ghosts on the Other Side were prone to linger about on those they had left behind. The others were either the type to dwell on their _permanent residency_ status or put themselves in the denial mentality. She didn't see many of the latter- once you were here it was pretty obvious you weren't going back. Initially, the frustration of feeling that she was at the boundary of _actually_ living would almost overwhelm her. She still couldn't get over the emptiness dwelling inside. Most of her senses were put on the back burner. Touch was only a fraction of what it once was. Forget smell altogether. The only ones that were even remotely similar were sight and hearing- but they were _filtered_. She couldn't really explain it, since it wasn't really something anyone could scientifically explain. It just _was._

She adjusted relatively quickly though. The consequences of her actions had taken their toll and she would live with them. _Or not_, she thought with a touch of mirth, considering _living _had been taken out of the equation. There were upsides of course to being dead. There was no straining for breath, a lessened sense of gravity (since you didn't actually weigh anything), and with that came the lack of burdens one feels just by existing.

After Jer had been brought back, it wasn't long before her breakdown. Sheila had been the one to cry on. _Were they really tears anymore?_ She questioned every aspect that she had formerly taken for granted. Was anger even real, when you couldn't even yell at anyone? Bonnie would often think about what she learned in her intro psyc class, when her teacher had discussed the role that neurotransmitters and hormones had played in emotions. Technically, she didn't even have those anymore, so how could she explain her emotional responses now? Bonnie tried to put it in the phenomenon category. She had been a witch after all, she could afford to suspend the need for explanations.

Ghosts, especially long-term ones, tended to have this sort of knowing piteous look when her anger had closely resembled how she had felt when she was alive, and she hated it. She had always thought she was so wise, so _all-knowing_ just because she was a witch for fuck's sake. Having witch powers meant _nothing _here. Having that aspect of her identity gone was a telling blow. Sheila seemed to know exactly how to calm her down. Eventually, the pain had lessened into a dull ache. Bonnie tried not to think about how Sheila had gone through this on her own, but it always remained at the back of her mind. But again, she supposed she wasn't alone. The other witches were here, and they had supported her even after all that she had done to provoke them. Her moments of defiance and rebellion didn't seem to be an issue anymore. Any discontent was always overlooked, because, after all, there was a lot more to be dealt with on the Other Side, primarily adjusting to death. Being a ghost was hard, but the feeling of non-existence was even worse. She wanted to feel that everyone was going to care, that she had _value_, but then she would often think _what does it matter now? _Was she being selfish by holding on to the town she had grown up in?

There might as well have been oceans between her and her friends. It didn't really register until the veil had gone back up. Jeremy was still the same. It was only _her _that had changed. The dreadful feeling of knowing you were truly _gone_ happened when she had taken a last glance at her friends in the Mystic Grill. The lack of physical distance between everything was the first compelling change she had noted as a ghost. She could just want to see someone, the simple urge to be near them, and she would be. The simplicity of it wasn't lost on her. She no longer needed her prius to get anywhere, it only took an instant. Like warp speed or something. Bonnie attributed it as some kind of bond that every ghost had with the ones they knew and the emotional connections that ghosts had with those still on earth. They could try and resist the bond through a mental shield, but that required a great deal of exertion.

She saw her friends sitting in a booth and knew she must be in the Mystic Grill. At first they were only in her periphery but she turned when she heard Elena's laugh. She focused on them and four figures gradually took form and meaning in the white haze that was her new world. The first thing she noted was that Jeremy wasn't there. Her sense of time was way off, so she had no way of knowing how long it had been since the veil had gone back up. But it couldn't have been more than a few hours, as their clothes were still the same. She suspected that he wasn't quite prepared for his re-entry into the real world, and the explanations that would have to follow. It wasn't exactly easy to reintegrate yourself into the world after being dead for several weeks. That required one hell of a description and Bonnie didn't think he would wrap his own head around being alive again, let alone explaining it to others.

Bonnie couldn't allow herself to regret her decision. The so-called balance of nature had screwed itself over by allowing supernatural creatures to exist that she no longer followed its ambiguous philosophy. It either wanted things to die or it didn't, either way everything seemed to have a loophole.

She ventured as close to them as she dared. Even walking was different. She became consciously aware of the lack of sound that her heels made on the hardwood floor and that none of the other patrons made any efforts to move around her. Her first impulse had been to dart around an energetic bus boy that came strolling by but she hadn't quite avoided any contact. His left arm had caught on her shoulder and she had braced for the physical touch of him running into her. Only his footsteps had indicated that he was still moving. The shock didn't register until she had looked behind her and he was now at the kitchen depositing dishes. _I'm really dead._ She knew she had to get out of there. It was getting too much.

_Just one more minute._

She looked back at the table a few feet away and spotted the others. Damon was sitting beside Elena, and he held her hand underneath the table. _Wow, I guess she's no longer confused._ She then glanced at the other two and saw Matt and Caroline.

She could hear the words being mumbled by Matt "...she's packing right now I swear! I've never seen her like this."

Caroline nudged him. "Yeah, as if you aren't over the moon! _Europe _Matt! Even if it is with _her."_ Her face grimaced before becoming animated once again. "You better take lots of pictures! And use Skype whenever you can."

This time Elena spoke. "You better be careful too. You've never even left Mystic Falls-"

Damon interrupted, "-as if he'll have anything to worry about. He'll have the basketcase Original beside him." He brought his hand up in a tsking motion. "But don't do anything I wouldn't do Golden Boy". He did the waggle eyebrow thing that Bonnie had always found irritating. It wasn't now.

The feelings of loss became even more pronounced knowing she couldn't join them, _not ever. _She looked at them but she was no longer paying attention to their words. Just the hand motions and their facial expressions. Their smiles, especially Elena's became a focal point, as she hadn't thought she would ever see it again. She did notice, however, that Elena's smile looked strained, almost forced. She practically radiated nerves. Bonnie attributed that to her belief that Jeremy was truly gone. _Wait until she sees him_. Bonnie wished she could see them reunite but she didn't dare risk being there should Jeremy accidentally give her away.

_They'll move on_, she thought with a touch of self-deprecation. Although they didn't know it yet, her life wouldn't matter any more or less than anyone else's. So many lives had been lost, and she was just another name on that list.

She wanted to listen to them longer but the thought carried its own torture. It wasn't her life anymore. She had no part in it. The longer she lingered the harder it would be to accept her circumstances. It would have happened anyway, but she had always thought not for another 50 or 60 years, and if she continually practiced magic, even longer.

As if Grams could sense her plight, she appeared behind her.

"Come now my dear, it's time we've left", she murmured.

"I know." Bonnie's smile was a useless front for the inner turmoil wrestling inside her. A sob escaped her. "It's just so hard." Her voice cracked.

"You have to move on."

To Bonnie's horror, her shoulders started shaking amongst her gasps and sobs. She didn't bother trying to hold it together anymore. It's not as if anyone could see her anyways. She could feel Sheila's arms support her when all she wanted to do was collapse. Maybe crawl into a ball and disappear. Even though she wasn't physically _there_, she could still feel the emotions course through her. Everything still felt as turbulent as when she was alive.

After several moments, where she could only feel the drumming in her ears followed by her grandmother's consoling words, she gradually calmed down to a state of understanding. Sheila's thoughts seemed to pierce her own and gave her a source of comfort. She glanced back at her friends where they still sat at the booth.

She clasped Sheila's hand.

"I'm ready."


	2. Jeopardy

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

Jeopardy

In many ways the Other Side was like the world she had lived in. Species tended to stick with their own kind. Although ghosts were fully formed just as they had been when the Veil was down, on the Other Side, they had a faint glow to them-Bonnie attributed that to the radiant, almost blinding atmosphere. It seemed to be the stereotypical Heaven, where everything was tinged with brightness. Definitely no darkness here, something she could appreciate. But the thought that Qetsiyah had wanted to spend eternity in here with Silas made her cringe. It did have its upsides, especially if you were with your loved ones, as she was lucky enough to, but the idea of simply _existing_ here forever only brought gloomy acceptance on her part.

The one thing she was grateful for was the mild sense of touch that still permeated with other ghosts. She could still _hug _(however faint it might be)and for some reason that made it bearable. That, and the intuitive connection she had with ghosts. Although physically she wasn't close to them, she had gained a spiritual awareness that allowed an even deeper bond with those around her. She was closer than ever with Grams and some of the other spirits, although that had its drawbacks like everything else. It was _a lot_ harder to disguise her feelings when she was like an open book.

She would have been bored but Grams wouldn't let her be. Losing magic had been a great hurdle to cross, not just because she couldn't do spells, but it no longer _resonated_ within her. She felt empty without the power source that could always be drawn upon at a moment's notice. Instead Grams took her to the other witches to learn why her actions had repercussions, but mostly she suspected, to help her move on from her old life.

There wasn't really 'hanging out' for most ghosts. Many just tended to watch those still alive in the real world. She spent her days, or what could be construed as days (since there was no sun or moon on the Other Side) learning from the spirits. They gave words (_lectures_, in her opinion) on why the balance of life and death was so vital. If she chose to make unwise decisions, Nature could and would find a way to restore the balance, no matter how much the rest of the world didn't like it. That's the way it was. In her time on earth, Bonnie had definitely chosen to make some rash decisions but she didn't feel regret even after all they had told her. She loved her family and friends, even when they seriously screwed up her life. It was the only sense of normalcy she had known since becoming a witch. Because of that, she had held onto it too firmly, and now Nature had a bone to pick with her, Grams said.

There were times when she wanted to see her friends so badly, but she didn't think she could handle watching them all move on without her. Reminiscing could be dangerous, Grams said, because there are those who couldn't handle it and then their soul would never find peace.

Bonnie had finally found herself at a stage of acceptance, but something was still lingering at the back of her mind. She had forgotten _something_ and Grams always seemed to push her to forget any doubts that something was amiss. She hadn't watched anyone in Mystic Falls. Finding a person who was still alive was much easier than finding a ghost. Luckily for her, she had Grams- who seemed to intuitively know where to find any of the ghosts she sought. However, if a ghost didn't want to be found, you had a better chance finding a needle in a haystack.

On a day just like any other, she had finally realized what she had forgotten so carelessly. She berated herself for not remembering the danger. Ghosts tended to do that, Grams would say, they only focus on the good they're leaving behind, not the bad.

Emily Bennett was the one who reminded her.

They had been telling her about nature's influence on spells.

"As you know Bonnie, a spell's permanency is dependent entirely on the witch's magic and the sources they draw on for to perform the actual spell."

Bonnie nodded wistfully, she knew only _too _well_._

The witches were inclined to focus on her mistakes, and went over it with a fine tooth comb.

"When you tried to bring Elena back to prevent the transition, you were going against Nature's will. The consequences could have been dire. Although we consider vampires to be distinct from other supernatural species due to their _undead_ status- bringing back their soul from the Other Side can still bring chaos in the cycle. Even though they are an abomination, because they cause a direct break in the chain, they still have energy flowing within them because they were living beings prior to turning. Nature can retaliate using whatever means necessary, even without the use of us to intercede and guide Her need to restore balance.

"Now that you are a spirit like us, you have to understand and respect Nature's laws. As a witch, you should have understood but instead you rebelled Her laws directly time and time again. Although we did not want Sheila to suffer, we had to follow Nature's will in that circumstance."

Internally, Bonnie's guilt came to the surface. She hated recalling her grandmother's screams while suffering and the thought brought a new wave of self-loathing. Nature was a bitch sometimes. While she understood their reasoning, the strength of their convictions was bit irritating. These witches were way too serious as it was but adjusting to their extreme attitudes would take a while. They never let her forget _anything_.

Bonnie was brought out of her musing by the next words Emily spoke, "-any spell you performed that required your ongoing magic to sustain any kind of permanence would have been brought to a halt when you died."

Bonnie reflected that the spell that brought back Jeremy didn't require any ongoing action on her part even after she died. She _knew_ that, she had seen him as a live person. She had drawn on the power of expressionfor Silas- _Silas! _Expression magic had to be sustained by the witch employing it- namely her. Bonnie groaned internally. She had forgotten all about his change in status. If that spell she cast no longer applied, then he could be wreaking havoc everywhere. Although he had yet to demonstrate his real powers-only his illusions tended to freak her out- she had yet to see his full potential. As a warlock himself, he must know that she was no longer alive. Would he be looking for another Bennett to drop the veil? Or just take his anger out on her friends? He was manipulative, cold, and would do whatever it took to drop the Veil. She couldn't remember who had the cure, if someone hadn't taken it already. As far as she knew that was the only thing that could get rid of him.

Abruptly, Bonnie stood up_. She had to warn them!_

The other witches glanced up at her. They were all sitting in a clearing in a pinewood forest similar to the ones in Mystic Falls.

"Why didn't you tell me about Silas?! He could be hurting my friends right now!" Sheila's look of guilt was quickly masked by a face of indifference.

"You know you cannot help them anymore Bonnie. They wanted the cure and knew the repercussions. That Original vampire reminded them to stop but they refused. They will have to deal with him on their own."

Bonnie just looked at her. "But you know the kind of destruction he could wield! You have to do something."

"Nature already made a decision when he cast that immortality spell, Bonnie, "she uttered.

"What do you mean?" she prompted softly.

Sheila heaved a large sigh. "It means it is no longer your concern child. You are a spirit on the Other Side and your only responsibility is to serve Nature, not concern yourself with a life that has passed and a town that has moved on."

Bonnie wanted to agree with her, but she _couldn't. _One day she would move on but first she had to ensure that they were all okay, which meant dealing with Silas. Prying the information about his whereabouts looked to be impossible.

Bonnie did the first thing that came to mind. Trying to find him. She closed her eyes and concentrated on Silas' essence, his malevolent presence. Since she had no idea what he looked like (she had only ever seen his true form desiccating) she focused on his voice, that raspy tone that caused shivers down her spine. After pausing a moment, she opened her eyes.

Bonnie let out a frustrated sigh. She was still in the clearing.

Sheila looked at her with pity shining in her eyes. "Give up Bonnie, he's not going to let you find him just like that. Anyone else would be easy but he's not just any warlock." She paused, "He's going to do what he can to protect his secrets, even from the spirits."

"You're not telling me something important." Bonnie frowned.

"And I won't until I can guarantee you won't interfere."

Bonnie wanted to tear her hair out in frustration. "He could kill everyone though! Are you just going to sit by while that happens?!"

"We have no choice. This is our role and we must fulfill it," another witch murmured.

Bonnie scowled in concentration. There must be something she could do. Something _useful. _She wasn't about to sit idly by while her friends were hurt or suffered at the hands of that monster. Although his goal was to die, he had still shown great power by creating the immortality spell. Just being a pissed off vampire made him a threat.

And knowing Damon and Stefan, they weren't about to just hand over the cure. _Idiots_. What good were they when they were willing to risk the entire world for Elena? Yeah she might have hated being a vampire initially, but it was pretty obvious she had accepted it in time. In fact, she had vehemently refused the cure the last time Bonnie checked. In some ways, she had intensely disliked how they had thought they knew what was best for her. Elena was stronger than they thought.

Bonnie quickly realized the only help she would be was if she could find a way to stop him, which meant immobilizing him or killing him altogether. To do that, she had to find out more about him. And there was only one person she knew of that could give her answers.

Qetsiyah.


	3. Foreigner

**A/N: The story is sort of being set in motion now. This chapter is a little bit longer. I'm writing in a way so that they get progressively longer. And thanks to those who are following. Since this is my first vampire diaries story it's kind of scary. Anyways enjoy!**

Foreigner

Considering the difficulties Bonnie had found with contacting Qetsiyah when she had been alive, Bonnie wasn't positive she would even be able to find her. The lack of response on the ancient witch's part was not promising.

After pleading with the witches had proven useless, she had gone off to wander on her own. She was still on the second plane, but there was now a greater distance between her and the other witches. Grams had the sense to realize that her granddaughter needed some time on her own and had left her to her own devices.

Just saying the witch's name aloud wasn't going to get her anywhere. She needed to talk to someone who could bring her to Qetsiyah. Other witches seemed to be the only solution. Since her own ancestors weren't exactly supportive she tried recalling everyone who had ever mentioned Silas. Elena had once brought up Kol's past experiences with witches who had knowledge of Silas, but she instantly squandered that idea. They would probably be just as difficult to find, especially because the difficulty in finding someone was dependent on whether or not you were acquainted with the person. Bonnie knew her search would have to start with someone she was already familiar with and then she would proceed from there.

Finding someone that you've never met on the Other Side wasn't like looking on a map and using the process of elimination. There were numerous planes where one could be isolated and not find anyone for miles, or one could be surrounded by the loved ones on planet earth. It was dependent on the spirit's desires. The way Bonnie understood it, she tried thinking of it as multiple layers that you could transverse on a whim. For witches, they had an easier time switching planes than other supernatural creatures, probably because the Other's Side construction was based on a witch's mind, and reflected their natural intuitions about the world around them. Most ghosts lingered on the plane most resembling earth, where you could still watch those you left behind. The nice part about the second plane was that the surroundings could change depending on the individual's desires. Since her own group of witches were most familiar (and comfortable) with the forests surrounding Mystic Falls, they had chosen to mimic an almost replica of that forest.

Bonnie had made the decision to follow the other witches on this plane where loved ones weren't relevant, or a _distraction_, as they put it. Although this plane didn't allow any visual connection with the living, it allowed for concentrated channeling to the living witches of the world, hence the reason why witches tended to prefer this plane. When a spirit sensed that a witch was drawing on spirit or dark magic, they could immediately monitor the witch in question and determine what kind of impact it was having on Nature's will.

This explained how the spirits always tried to interfere whenever she was messing with the balance.

Suddenly, the idea came to Bonnie. She knew she wouldn't be welcomed but she also knew it was probably her only shot. She braced herself for the decidedly unwelcome greeting she would get. If she even found her that is.

When she thought of the witch and concentrated on her, she found herself on the earth plane.

_Where are you, Aja?_

She didn't spot the witch anywhere, meaning she must be close by or else she wouldn't have left the forest and come all this way. Some of the structures looked familiar but only on a superficial level. She found herself on a busy cobblestone street, most likely a large city. She tried to concentrate on the buildings instead of the people and the cars that were manoeuvring in impossibly tiny gaps of space. She vaguely noted the sounds of vehicles honking at a frequent rate.

She spotted a sign and could make out 'Les Chandelles'. Bonnie crossed the street and felt drawn to the building- Aja was in_ there_. She verified that she must be in a French-speaking city, when she spotted another boutique adjacent to the place with a French word she didn't recognize. She had never been great in French in school. She assumed she was in Paris due to the aging architecture, but couldn't be sure since she wasn't an expert in that department, and because she had never even left North America. It could easily have been Montréal or Québec City, as they were older cities as well.

She didn't really want to go inside since this was the first time since the grill that she had been in an enclosed area with a lot of people. Serving only to remind her of her ghostly state. At this point, she figured she was probably over the whole 'people walking through her' bit. _Only one way to find out_.

Anxious to get the hard part over with, Bonnie went through the small gate and went down some spiral stairs to the entrance.

A gasp escaped her when she spotted what was inside. Women were prancing around in lingerie while men sat at tables watching them. A _stripclub- really_?! Once Bonnie adjusted to the almost-naked women trying to seduce the somewhat distinguished-looking gentlemen, she took a few more steps inside to get a look around. She felt gross just standing there, but for once, was grateful she wasn't visible to the patrons' eyes. In her jeans and floral blouse, she felt decidedly out of place, even if she wasn't technically _there_.

She couldn't decipher Aja in the crowded room and advanced further inside. Many people had to phase through her or they would have hit a table or chair. She didn't really feel anything, just the telltale movement of air was the only indication that they had gone through her.

Although Bonnie couldn't be positive, she could feel the connection strengthening and assumed she must be getting closer.

After what seemed like the millionth person passing through her she made it to the back of the club where a closed curtain separated a private room from the rest of the place. Preparing for the enraged glares from Aja, Bonnie stepped into the room.

The sight that greeted her wasn't as shocking as she had been mentally preparing for. The room itself was devoid of any living species and was instead occupied by small group of familiar-looking witches, Aja being one of them. Bonnie recognized all of them as the ones in the group that had been sacrificed for the expression triangle.

All of them looked up when they saw Bonnie.

Inwardly, Bonnie cringed. They did _not_ look happy to see her. She supposed she couldn't blame them, she _had_ played a huge part in their deaths. At the time though, she had thought she would be able to bring them back.

"Hi!" she squeaked. Bonnie wanted to slap herself. _Put on your bitch face, girl!_ She knew she had been a much more powerful witch than these four combined. But that was _then_, and this was now. Ever since she had died, she had lost confidence in herself. She hadn't realized how much her self-esteem had depended on her strength in magic. Magical abilities had nothing to do with being a ghost. This was one time where she wished ghosts couldn't physically touch each other (or at least _project _touch- she was still a bit flaky on the details of it) - they were probably going to beat the crap out of her.

Aja was the one who spoke. "Get out of here Bennett. You are not welcome here." Aja's face twisted into an ugly frown.

Another witch with long wavy dark hair and olive-toned skin stood up. "You made a huge mistake coming here." This _one_ was _pissed_. Had this witch been alive, saliva would have been pouring out of her mouth after every word uttered. _Oh yeah,_ she had _definitely_ been a spitter in her living days.

Bonnie took two steps forward. "Listen I know I don't deserve your-"

She was cut off by the spitting witch's next words, "you don't deserve anything! Raising Silas was the worst thing a witch could have done! You don't even merit the word! You are an abominable-"

Aja interrupted, "Alright Kali, calm down." Aja's voice seemed to resonate in the entire room. Her eyes met Kali's. Aja brought her gaze around to Bonnie's. "Now, I don't want this _witch-_" she seemed to say this word with a pained expression, "- remaining any longer than you do but-", she paused to ensure everyone was focused on her next words, "-she is a Bennett and I myself am curious to hear what she has to say."

Bonnie took a quick look at the other witches' expressions and was relieved to see the mirrored expressions of consent. They all briefly nodded, including Kali, who grudgingly gave a swift motion of her head. Aja's supremacy in this coven was clear as day.

Bonnie cleared her throat. She decided some groveling was necessary if she was going to get any help from them. She was lucky enough they even agreed to hear her out. "You have no idea how much I regret how things went down. I know I screwed up and I never meant for things to turn out this way." She took a breath and took a glance at the witches' expressions. _No deathly glares yet_. "I naively thought that Silas could be raised without any consequences and obviously, that was a huge mistake on my part."

She continued, "I truly am sorry for the loss of everyone involved-," Bonnie was interrupted by Kali's harsh laugh.

"You're _sorry?! _Sorry isn't going to put Silas back in the cave now is it? You were warned multiple times and you didn't listen. Did you think it was just some boogeyman story to entertain children by the fire? The worst part is that you_ still_ don't even realize what you've done."

Bonnie spoke softly. "Silas can still be killed if he takes the cure."

Aja laughed. "You still don't know? Well you've missed out on a lot, haven't you?"

Bonnie frowned at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

Aja's direct gaze almost frightened her. She _knew_ she wasn't going to like her next words.

"The cure has already been taken-", another pause, "-by a _doppelgänger_".

Bonnie's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe it. _Elena had taken it?_ The last time she recalled, Elena had vehemently refused to take it, as she had gradually accepted her vampire position. _Why would she take it now? She must have changed her mind._

"You saw her take it? How? Why?" She should have known that Elena would give in to the Salvatores' demands. They had their hearts in the right place, but now things were _royally _screwed up. _Like always_.

"I wouldn't exactly call it of her own volition. She was, shall we say, _forced_ to take it."

Bonnie felt enraged and affronted. "You mean they forced it down her throat?! It was her choice to make! I can't believe this!" If Bonnie were alive right now, she would be giving them a tongue lashing. Followed by some serious blood vessel bursting. Bonnie almost grinned at the thought.

"Yes, well, she had it coming didn't she? Personally, I think she might learn a thing or two by being a human again." Aja had a reflective expression on her face and then sighed. "It is a pity it wasn't used on Silas, but it's too late for regrets now."

"What are you talking about? Elena hasn't even been a vampire that long. She still had a lot to learn and...", she broke off at the looks the other witches gave each other. Something was _wrong._

They glanced back up at her. Aja was the one who spoke. "Who do you think we're talking about child?"

Bonnie stared. "Elena of course! Who else would we be...?" _Oh no_...the silent answer hung in the air. Their comments made a lot more _sense_ now.

"Katherine..." Bonnie murmured softly.

"Unfortunately yes," Aja replied.

Kali barked out another laugh. "Life does have a sense of humor, doesn't it? The one person who loathed being a human more than anyone else. Everyone else wanted it, but she was the one forced to take it."

Bonnie needed more details. "Are you sure it was Katherine and not Elena? Who forced her to take it?"

"Well we didn't see it ourselves. Someone informed us that it was Elena who shoved it down dear Katherine's throat." Kali looked positively gleeful.

"So you can't be sure then? You may not even have a reliable source." She was still wrapping her head around this chain of events. Why Elena would waste the cure on Katherine was beyond her. Especially when there were so many others who had wanted it. _Mainly the evil bad guy who actually wants to be dead._

Her thoughts halted when Aja responded to her last comment. She had a mirthful look on her face. "Oh, this source is very reliable. In fact, he's been following Elena for quite some time. He's been fixated on her- well her _demise_ per sé, since he bit the big one."

Bonnie felt a slight shiver a long her spine. Elena had racked up a few enemies over the years that would be on the Other Side. If these witches were in some kind of alliance with one of her enemies, then she wasn't even sure if she _could_ trust them. The thing was, they were only ones she knew of who could lead her to Qetsiyah. She really had no choice.

Bonnie was brought out of her reverie by Aja's exclamation.

"Oh here he is now! You can get all the juicy details yourself my dear." Aja's gaze was drawn to a spot behind her.

Bonnie could feel eyes on the back of her neck. A feeling of dread overcame her from head to toe, a sort of rippling that only ended when she took a calming breath and turned around to face the unknown visitor.

A look of astonishment crossed her face before she quickly masked it with a hardened glare. _He had seen it though. Shit._ Bonnie groaned internally. She _really _didn't need this right now. He grinned as if he could read her thoughts. _He can't hurt me, I'm already dead._

"Hello little witch."

"Kol."


	4. In Motion

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I love reading them. The story can't go anywhere without Kol haha.**

**To angry cupcake: Yeah Bonnie is definitely canon- meaning not even close to perfect. Not that I'd ever want her to be. I love her character, flaws and all but it gets frustrating not seeing her get any development. The whole point of this story is to see her grow as a person and she's not going to change overnight. I'm pretty sick of the writers' habit of using her as a device, rather than an actual person with feelings etc. She's also extremely naive, especially when it comes to thinking she'll get what she wants which I hope I'm conveying decently.**

**To luv4ed: I definitely agree with you about the salvatores. Elena did want the cure for the longest time so technically they were all for attaining the same goal for quite a while. Since it is Bonnie's perspective, she was basing her opinion on what has occurred in the last week or so when she finally got her humanity back and decided not to take it and they were still pressuring her that it was for the best- which I myself can sympathize with since they sacrificed and put a lot of effort into finding it for her. However, it was still stupid on their part not to get rid of the 'big bad' when they had the perfect opportunity.**

**Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter. If I've made errors or something needs clarification please let me know!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

In Motion

The last time she had seen Kol was after trapping him beneath the school with her body. He had been enraged at her for deceiving him, but she also suspected, at his own folly for trusting her.

Although he was grinning from ear to ear, the look in his eyes held a much more sinister agenda.

He looked almost the same as he had before. He was wearing one of those khaki jackets he seemed to favor and some very snug jeans that Bonnie couldn't help but notice fit him _very _well. His hair was also more spiked than usual and he was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

Although his physical disposition depicted someone relaxed, she wasn't in the least bit placated. His mood swings and tendency for erratic behaviour were the main reasons why he frightened her, especially now that she no longer had magic to scare him off.

She had always thought of him as the wildcard out of all the Originals. Yes, he had shown an impulsive and violent nature, but his motivations or what he wanted out of being a vampire had never been obvious. Although all of the vampires had demonstrated personalities that were hardened (who wouldn't be tough after a thousand years?) but some of them also managed to be vulnerable in the most peculiar areas. Rebekah and Klaus being the most obvious. They both strived to have a real family, to not be alone, yet could never fully attain it because they always managed to foul things up for themselves. They both appeared to have the same hopeful ideals that other youths had this day and age, although it was masked by violent tempers and their disregard and indifference to the living. Elijah seemed to be the most stable of the family, as he was logical, but also displayed more sympathy to those around him, including his family. Kol on the other hand had not really shown much loyalty to his family, only in dire circumstances did he show up for things and when he had, it usually involved him stirring up trouble. Bonnie hadn't seen most of it first hand, but based on the accounts of Elena and Jeremy, most of his reputation was pretty accurate.

"Fancy seeing you here darling-" He lifted one of his arms in Aja's directions, "-especially considering your history with these lovely witches."

Bonnie turned to Aja. "You're still buddy-buddy with _him_?! He's a monster!-"

She could hear Kol's affronted tsking in the background. "-Not to mention he's unstable-"

"I'd call it impassioned", he interrupted cheerfully.

"-psychotic-"

"Fierce, I believe, is a more appropriate term."

"-violent-"

"Won't argue with you there."

"-maniac!"

This time she looked back at him when he made a miffed sound. "I take a great offense to that! I am a free spirit. People should be aspiring to be like me."

She scoffed. "Yeah because it's done so well for you lately."

"It's served me well for over a thousand years, I'll remind you." He paused and mimicked the look of one deep in thought. "As for you, you only made it to what- seventeen, eighteen? I'd say my philosophy on living trumps yours, darling."

_Seventeen,_ Bonnie thought inwardly. She hadn't even been an adult yet before her life had been snuffed out. She couldn't gamble, vote or buy a six-pack. When she thought about it, what had she really experienced other than practicing magic? Magic hadn't really gotten her anywhere except her family members killed and placed her friends in danger. _That's not true_. It had saved her friends numerous times, when there had been no other options. She comforted herself with the knowledge in the role she had played whenever her friends' lives were in jeopardy.

Her thoughts halted when Kol pushed himself from the wall and took a few steps towards her. Bonnie had to resist the urge to take a step backwards. She was still so used to having the upper hand because of magic that its absence made her feel naked.

He came to a stop in front of her. His right hand rose and grasped her chin.

"Cheer up little dove. At least you've got family here."

"I thought your mother and brother were here? They-"

He cut her off. "I meant family that doesn't want you dead. My mother was _ecstatic_ that one less Mikaelson was roaming the earth and my brother, well, he's no better if you ask me. So morbid that one." His smile was mocking.

Bonnie would have felt pity if he hadn't tried to kill her. Not to mention the attempt on Jeremy's life. And pretty much all of her friends. Still, she couldn't help but feel that being an Original had its drawbacks, including a mother who went a bit overboard with the filicide routine.

Bonnie decided to broach the subject that was bothering her.

"What are you doing here anyways? Discussing the best torture methods? Where are your oh-so-loyal hybrids?"

Kol made a cursed huff. "Those _cowards_ left as soon as the veil went back up. All I can say is good riddance. Absolutely no initiative! The only one who even put on a bit of a show was my precious Aja, who lost her head in the process." He feigned a pained expression. "Thanks to my_ dear_ brother."

Despite his cavalier attitude, Bonnie sensed that he had felt a crushing defeat for the effort he had put in to attain some kind of vengeance. He had _truly_ believed he could have achieved something meaningful when the veil had gone down. At the time, she had been sorely tempted herself to permanently lower the veil. But that would have brought every other dead supernatural creature back from the grave. Which could _not_ happen.

Although she was starting to acknowledge the value of balance on earth, it was still difficult to ignore her own feelings sometimes. She had often thought about the decision she had made.

Seeing him again brought back the very slight pang of guilt she had felt from deceiving him. Lowering the veil had been his one and only chance at his old life. For someone who had roamed the earth for a thousand years, she imagined how difficult it would be to adjust to his new station. He was no longer the significant Original vampire who had sired thousands, but was instead reduced to being an irrelevant ghost. She would never go back and change things, but she could still acknowledge that life sucked for him.

Still, he had _been_ a murderous vampire with no qualms about killing her or her friends. She wasn't about to forgive and forget any of that.

"Now _witches_ on the other hand, they have proven their loyalty time and time again." He had removed his hand from her chin and brought it up to stroke her cheek. She smacked his hand away.

She repeated her first question. This time with a bit more venom.

"What are you doing here?" She didn't bother trying to disguise her glare.

"Well I've always loved this place. It's tasteful-"

"-A _stripclub_? Oh yeah so classy-"

"-I'll have you know this is a _swinger's _club dear." A righteous look had now appeared on his face. "People clamor to get in here on a nightly basis-"

"-I really couldn't care less," she interrupted. "Why are they with_ you_?" She indicated the other four witches still in the room, who had been watching them with faint amusement.

"Family meeting." He replied in an over-serious tone.

"About what?" She was getting frustrated.

"It's really none of your business darling," He responded almost gently.

She crossed her arms under her chest. "You're not gonna tell me?"

His eyes drew down to breasts and then rose back up to her face. She felt a twinge of annoyance and indignation. "Well let's just say you might interfere." He paused. "And we _really_ can't have that."

If Bonnie were alive, she imagined she would be pulling every magical way to coerce it out of him, in other words- lots of aneurysms and perhaps engaging in some levitating and slamming him against the wall. She couldn't believe how stubborn he was being. What did it matter now anyways? They were all _dead._ How important was the conversation they were about to have? What value could it have in the land of the dead? Bonnie herself didn't really understand the value of anything in this place. Unless it affected her friends and family. Which dead people couldn't do anyways. Even witch spirits had a pitiful amount of influence in the real world as far as she knew. They could only forge a connection with other witches, and only for a small amount of time.

Which begged the question, was he planning something like before? _Fat chance_ of that. She didn't know of anyone who could drop the veil. It had to be a Bennett witch. _So what could it be? _For someone like Kol, whatever was going on here would have to pertain to his own selfish needs. _Which meant getting out of this place._ She hardly knew him, but it was plain to see his desperation to return as a vampire. How he planned on doing that was the question. He had either gone insane from denial or he was grasping at rumored straws in the Other Side. Either way, there was no chance he was going back. If there was a way, didn't he understand that someone would have tried it already?

"Stop trying to figure it out, little witch." Kol had bent down at this point and he was now nose to nose with her. His voice lowered, "unless you'd like to join us." Bonnie tried not to read too much into his provocative tone. He was known for his theatrics. Bonnie was about to respond when he spoke again.

"But then again, I haven't witnessed or experienced any moments of trustworthiness on your part, so there really is no point in continuing this darling." He had now straightened to his full height and was gesturing to the curtained door.

She was wondering when he was going to bring that up. Could he honestly hold a grudge over that? It was his fault as much as hers for thinking she would allow every supernatural being to walk the earth again. Whatever trust he might have had with her was now gone. Not that she cared, it wasn't as if she wanted to be 'besties' with him on the Other Side, but at moments like these, her curiosity was overriding her indifference and she wanted him to tell her.

She was brought out of her reverie when the curtain was pushed open and a young woman wearing some _barely there_ lingerie walked in followed by a balding man in a navy suit, basically panting after her. _Ugh. Disgusting._

"I was wondering when they were going to join us." Kol had now joined the witches and was sitting in one of the vacated chairs. The man and women, unaware of their audience, had sat down in one of the reclining chairs, where the woman proceeded to grind on the man's lap and unbutton his shirt.

"Perhaps you should stay, love." He grinned. "You might enjoy the show."

Bonnie made a repulsed face. "I'd rather vomit." Her voice took on a deliberate fake high tone. "But _thanks_."

She left the room and headed towards the exit, but not before hearing the distinctive _your loss_ shouted amongst the french words whispered across the club.

Bonnie pondered her next course of action amongst the narrow streets in what was definitely Paris (the Louvre was pretty hard to miss).

After debating whether or not to ask the spirits if there was a way to return to the living world, Bonnie ultimately decided that asking them wasn't going to get her anywhere, except a headache. They were extremely tight-lipped about everything, probably because they knew her volatility and tendency to screw with Nature was against everything they stood for. She swore they were like a cult or something.

Since Bonnie had nothing but time on her hands, and any other course of action was nonexistent, she decided to do the one thing she abhorred.

Follow Kol.

...

Snooping around after Kol proved to be more difficult than she thought. The vampire seemed to be more aware of his surroundings than most, and he a showed a great deal of suspicion and paranoia in many of the public places that he ventured to. And _boy_, did he do _a lot _of venturing. Bonnie often found herself hiding behind random objects in order to remain unseen. However, he was still a vampire, and he didn't prove particularly skillful at mentally concealing his location. There were many times when Bonnie thought it was a huge waste of time, since he mostly frequented bars and clubs of a distinctly _seedy_ nature.

Bonnie would have given up if she hadn't discovered that he was using these places to meet with witches almost exclusively. Unless he had some sort of witch fetish, which may not have been entirely out of the question, he was undoubtedly up to _something_.

As soon as he left whatever bar or club he had just been in, Bonnie would proceed to press the witches or other supernatural beings for answers on what he had been discussing with them. They all refused to give information, much to her frustration.

Bonnie was about to give up hope that she wouldn't be able to find out anything when she finally got some results.

She wasn't sure where Kol had gone this time, but she surmised that it was somewhere in North America, definitely a small town. After concentrating on Kol's location, she found herself outside of a _normal_-looking bar, which was a relief considering she was starting to doubt Kol's taste in watering holes.

Bonnie peered into one of the windows at the side of the building. She spotted Kol easily, as there were very few patrons, and only two ghosts besides Kol. The two ghosts were a young man with dark brown hair and a dark-skinned woman with permed shoulder-length hair. They were seated on two of the empty bar stools and looked to be in deep conversation.

Kol went up to them and addressed the woman. It looked as if he were inquiring as to her identity to confirm it, because the woman then reluctantly nodded.

A few more words were exchanged between the two and Bonnie desperately wished she could hear what they were saying. But that would definitely give away her presence. After a few minutes, Kol had a disappointed look on his face and walked out of the bar.

Bonnie decided to give it a shot and see if they were willing to answer her questions.

She went up to them, and as if they sensed her, turned their heads in her direction.

The woman's eyes widened in recognition before she grinned slightly. "Well I'll be damned! You're a Bennett!" Bonnie was she could tell that just from looking at her was mind-boggling, but maybe it was the same intuition that Bonnie felt when she could sense a witch.

The man beside her spoke. "And what exactly is a Bennett, Bree?"

She shoved his shoulder slightly. "I told you before remember! One of the most powerful lines of witches, probably ever. In fact, that's one of the weird names that guy just mentioned, she was a Bennett-"

Bonnie interrupted, "-did he mention Qetsiyah?"

The woman named Bree looked confused. "Well yeah, he asked a bunch of questions. Mostly about higher-level spirits. Probably thinking since I'm a witch I would know right? But he mostly asked about a group of really old witches and if I knew how to find them, which I don't by the way. This whole place is like a labyrinth and I've had enough of my kind as it is."

Bonnie asked them a few more questions that might give any indication on what exactly he wanted but they only shook their heads. It seemed Kol didn't have as much information as he thought.

However, the fact that he had the same goal as her was promising. If he could lead her to Qetsiyah, it meant getting the whole story on Silas and his motivations and abilities. Qetsiyah wanted him dead as much as Bonnie did, so she had hope that Qetsiyah might comply. She was her descendant for crying out loud!

When she exited the bar, she immediately tried to discern Kol's location. Doing this brought her to a new climate, in what was a dry hot landscape. She was on the outskirts of a large city atop a hill with various bushes and trees surrounding her. She couldn't spot Kol, which alarmed her.

There was _no one_ around.

Until...

"Why are you following me?" He whispered from behind her. _He was too close_.

She started to turn around. "No. Stay as you are. I may just snap your neck." A pause. "Not that it would do much good, mind you." _Not funny_.

His fingers trailed her neck. Or at least, she thought they were. Everything could be imagined, she supposed.

His head leaned over her left shoulder. That she was _positive_ of. "You better tell me. My patience is wearing thin." He was practically singing the last bit.

She figured she may as well get to the point. Although she _hated_ letting him think he had the upperhand. "I know you're looking for Qetsiyah."

His fingers stopped trailing. "Really? And what gave you that idea?"

He roughly turned her around to face him. "No don't tell me. One of those witches had a big mouth. It's not a bother though." He laughed harshly. "I'm not getting anywhere anyways. She seems to be the most elusive creature. No one seems to know of her, and yet she created this damn place."

She was getting sick of his tirades. "Look I need to find her too."

He had a mocking expression. "Oh do you propose we partner up then? Psychotic vamp and grieving witch? Has a nice ring to it, I suppose."

"Enough!" She took a deep breath. "I realize we're not exactly buddies but I have to admit that we could be-," she shuddered at the next word, "-_partners_ in this mutual goal of ours."

"And what makes you think I would even consider this idea? You haven't demonstrated any use-last time I recall, you screwed me over-"

"-Seriously?! You were trying to kill my best friend and her brother-"

"who died anyways as I recall. Which resulted in your death." He stared into her eyes. "Tell me, do you always play the martyr? You need to get some new priorities my dear. It sounds like your friends don't give a damn-"

"Don't you dare talk about my friends. They didn't know-"

"That you were dead? Really? You'd think at least one of them would have been able to tell you were in anguish. But I guess none of them can see anything but that silly doppelgänger. Who so far hasn't shown much use in my opinion."

She glared at him. "You wish you had a friend like Elena. She's the most selfless person I know."

He put his finger to his chin. "And _yet,_ everyone around her is the one who is always sacrificing, isn't that right? After all, it put you in this predicament-"

"-That was _my_ decision to make. And it was for Jeremy-"

"Nonetheless, Elena got her brother back and you're six feet under. Being friends with the doppelgänger has its costs Bonnie. You should have realized that now."

Bonnie wanted to say something but she wasn't sure what. She didn't think he was arguing just to argue. He _truly_ wanted her to reflect on his words. Granted, some of his words had merit, but she had always ignored her feelings of hostility towards Elena. Sometimes they resurfaced, especially when she had lost Grams and when Abby had turned, but most of the time she managed to push them deep down.

Still, she didn't want to have such negative thoughts about her friend. It wasn't as if Elena could help it. It was just the way things turned out. That and the Salvatore brothers' obsession with saving her at all costs.

Fortunately, he ended up changing back to the previous subject. She wasn't ready to delve into a topic like _that_ with Kol of all people. "Anyways, provided I can trust you, why should I even consider this?"

She smirked. Putting aside the angsty feelings from before was easy. "Because, I've got a whole coven of _old _witches. One of them has to know about Qetsiyah, most of them are Bennetts, after all."

A mirthful gleam came into Kol's eyes. "Well, perhaps you're not so useless after all, witch."

A feeling of dread flickered through Bonnie. How the hell was she going to get the witches to tell her where Qetsiyah was? A bit of deception on her part, she thought with anxiety. She felt apprehensive about lying to them but this was their only option.

She was brought out of her musing when he started walking away.

"Hey! Where are you going?! I thought you said-"

"I know what I said. But I've had enough Bennett for one day. Tomorrow I'll find you."

_I guess that gives me time_. _What a strange guy._ It wasn't until Bonnie had rehearsed their conversation in her mind that she realized he had actually called her by her name.


	5. Against the Tide

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews! In a lot of ways I liked how the show's finale ended because it gave us lots of inspiration, especially for Bonnie and Kol. This definitely won't be any love-at-first-sight type of romance. When you've got a thousand-year old vampire in the mix, things are bound to be a lot more complicated than some teenage romance.**

**Anyways** **the chapter title comes from a song by The Radio Dept. I have a mild obsession with them.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD.**

Against the Tide

Bonnie quickly became aware that she was essentially doing Kol's dirty work. She had thought that he would be the one leading her to Qetsiyah but it appeared things were in reverse. The only thing he provided was his company, which left much to be desired. She supposed he had historical insight, especially since Elena had once mentioned that he had travelled with witches a few centuries back. He might end up knowing a lot more than she did. He _was_ super old.

In some ways, she found the whole situation comical. Imagine what her friends would think now. Working with Kol. Being _civil_ with Kol. She couldn't picture _anyone_ being remotely pleasant with him, let alone her. If someone had told her that she would be plotting to find one of the most powerful witches in history with one of the most erratic vampires, she would have laughed in their face. It was just not a Bonnie Bennett thing to do. She figured that she justified her actions because being ghosts put them on equal footing now. Hating vampires didn't seem so high on her agenda anymore. Not only because they were in the same vote, but there was no longer any race for survival. And no thirst for blood.

Even though she was technically the one getting answers at this point, there was a part of her reassured by not being alone in this. All-in-all, it was just a teensy bit better knowing someone who hated being dead as much as you did and who would (hopefully) be there when she finally met the mysterious witch. _It's not as if I actually like the guy_. But she didn't dislike him either. At this point, it was sort of on neutral ground. Since she didn't really know him, she tried to be fair by not assuming the best or the worst. Despite all of that, she had no idea if she could even trust him. He might even ditch her as soon as he got an inkling as to where Qetsiyah was.

She was still infinitely curious as to what he wanted with the ancient witch. Did he think she had some way to get him back to the living world? That she could lower the veil? Even Bonnie doubted the possibility of that. You had to be a _living_ witch to bring down the veil. If his source for information was so reliable, why was he relying on Bonnie? She wanted to believe that his intentions were all good and innocent but she still had to put on a guard. Whatever his motivations were, Bonnie was determined to be there when he spoke to her.

Bonnie had intended on meeting him first because she didn't really want to wait around for him. She had spent the last hours with the witches. She pretended that whatever curiosities about Silas were out of her mind for good, when in reality that was all she could think about. She knew that Grams could not be around when she asked them since she could read Bonnie so well.

Bonnie's plan basically consisted of demonstrating interest in her family's heritage. Through that one of them was sure to give away someone who might know where the oldest witches were.

She was on the same plane as the witches and was about to go to put her plan into action when Kol appeared right in front of her.

Bonnie gasped before pushing him. "Don't DO that! Jeez!"

Kol laughed before answering. "Shouldn't you be used to this? After all you're the one who has been following me lady."

"Yeah but I don't pop right in front of you- I _actually_ keep my distance and don't try to scare people."

"I didn't realize witches were so jumpy! I told you I'd find you."

"Yeah but you're not supposed to be up here! What if one of them sees you? I was just going to get their help." She started pushing and patting his back to get rid of him. "So shoo! I'll find you when I'm done."

He allowed himself to be shoved a few steps before he turned around and looked at her. "Well while you were dilly-dallying around here I _actually_ got a few things done."

She crossed her arms. "And what did you get smart-ass?"

He mimicked her posture. "A name."

She waited patiently. He just smirked.

"Well, are you gonna tell me or just stand there?"

"You really need to work on your manners dear. I'll forgive you this time though."

She decided to ignore that and wait for his response. He seemed to thrive on conflict.

"Ask your witch friends about Kazima. I found my friends from South Africa. They mentioned that she would lead us to Qetsiyah."

"How would they know that?"

"Well they're the type to keep this sort of information. I did them a few favors back in the day and they owed me. Once you're done meet me at that bar, the Mystic Grill, is it? I fancy-"

"No!" She battered down her response. "I mean, we could meet anywhere. How about New York or San Diego?" She didn't want him to see how emotional she would be if they went there.

He stared intently at her. "What an interesting reaction." He smiled. "Very well. San Diego it is. Don't be too long."

With that he disappeared.

...

Bonnie decided that bringing up her heritage had to be done smoothly.

The trick was- the question had to be relevant.

She was sitting in a circle with the entire group. She was sitting next to a witch, Ayana, whom she knew to be a Bennett, and an _old_ one at that. If anyone knew of this Kazima, it would be her.

After channeling their powers with Nature, they were now explaining the strength a group of spirits had when focusing on a living witch. The areas had to be compatible, in other words, some of the spirits in the group had to have died in the area where the living witch was located. Bonnie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She knew _all_ this but was willing to comply with their need to go over every single detail.

One of the witches was speaking, "The bond is even stronger if it is a bloodline, though that is not a requirement. "

Ayana spoke. "You were lucky Bonnie, as a Bennett witch, you had a wealth of spirit power to draw upon, but you still tended to use it irresponsibly."

_My opening. _"Well what about you? Who did you draw upon?"

Ayana smiled. "Well there were not as many witches back when I was alive, so that was not really an option."

"Did your mother tell you about the spirits?"

"Oh most definitely. It was much easier to be a witch back then. No overcrowding, and not so many distractions. But many witches tended to cluster in certain areas, such as Greece and Italy, or Africa. It was still dangerous being a witch, even with less people."

"Were you reunited with your mom when you died?" Bonnie asked. _Keep prodding._

"Yes, she found me right away." Ayana now had a black look on her face, as if recalling those memories brought back only pain and anger.

"What's wrong?"

"When I first died Bonnie, I took up with a group of witches. But they were not like us. They tended to be wrathful and volatile. Certainly powerful, but I was never sure where I stood with them. I ended up leaving them not long after, and leaving my mother at the same time." For a moment, an expression of sadness crossed Ayana's face before her face hardened.

"My mother was a different person on the Other Side, and easily influenced by these other witches."

"Were they related? I mean, were they Bennetts?"

"Oh yes. I didn't want to part from my lineage but I knew I would never be like them."

Bonnie treaded carefully and tried to appear nonchalant. "I only know a small fraction of my family history. I'd be really interested to know if I've heard of any of them."

Ayana stared closely at her. "You don't want to associate with these witches Bonnie. They are corrupt and have a negative relationship with Nature."

Bonnie wondered how that was even possible. Witches were the servants of Nature, so unless they directly tried to piss with the balance, how could it be negative?

"Well where are they? I mean, how have you not been around them in such a long time?" Bonnie thought she was finally on to something.

"They are on the next plane Bonnie."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh."

_Well that sucks. _The next plane was the farthest that one could part from the living world. The witches had barely even mentioned what went on up there and Bonnie hadn't really been all that curious about it, until now. Supposedly, it didn't even closely resemble earth. It was just a vast empty space where witches' senses were heightened to the fullest extent. She supposed it was great if you wanted a more acute relationship with the essence of Nature and all that, but still. She just pictured it as an isolated area that you could be trapped in for eternity. It could also be tricky to get out of, since accessing it in the first place required a great deal of concentration that she had yet to demonstrate.

"Was Kazima one of them?" Bonnie was hoping to get a reaction out of Ayana.

It paid off. Ayana's eyes narrowed into slits. "How do you know of her?"

Bonnie's expression appeared unconcerned. Inwardly, however, she was hyperventilating. "I think I must have come across her name in a book or something. Like an ancient witch you know?"

Ayana's face eased some of its tension. She responded slowly. "Yes, she was part of the group. Very powerful. I can only hope she has lost some of her incensed nature."

_Yes!_ Finally Bonnie had gotten an answer. She was now debating whether it was worth it to risk going to the next plane. Maybe there was another way to learn about Silas. _Like in books_? Or some ancient scroll that gives another way to kill him. This plan didn't even guarantee her getting to Qetsiyah. _But this was the closest she had gotten._

Ayana interrupted her thoughts. "I don't want you even thinking about going there Bonnie. You could get trapped there. And I shudder to think how those witches might treat you."

Bonnie did her best to placate Ayana. "Oh no of course not! I was just curious is all. I'm home here." Bonnie felt guilty for lying to her but quickly ignored it. This was for the good of everyone.

After this information was brought to light, Bonnie immediately wanted to leave to find Kol. She ultimately decided against it as she didn't want to draw any suspicion by leaving right away.

Bonnie's thoughts were more jumbled than ever. Not only would she have to find Qetsiyah, but now it looks like she was about to greet a group of zealous witches. Not exactly a comforting thought. Bonnie was debating whether or not to disclose this new information to Kol, but chose instead to keep it to herself. They may have changed since in the last few hundred years since Ayana's death.

After a few more hours the group finally parted and she said her goodbyes to everyone, including Grams, who was frowning in suspicion at her hasty departure. She would have to deal with her later.

At the moment, Bonnie had far more important concerns.

...

Bonnie found him at some beach front bar that was most definitely California. The sun was setting and he was lounging in a deck chair facing the ocean.

"Took you long enough little witch."

She wasn't even in his field of vision. She stood beside his chair and was about to speak when he decided to murmur something else.

"That's one of the things I miss you know. The colour is all wrong. We only get a shadow of the real thing."

It took her a moment to realize what he was referring to. His eyes were drawn to the sky. _The sunset_. He was _right_. Since the Other Side was so bright, the true vivid colours that normally cascaded across the sky during a sunset had a loss of pigments, and were reduced practically to shades of grey.

"You'd think she would have tried to make an _enjoyable _afterlife, rather than this farce."

Bonnie wanted to laugh. "She probably didn't have a choice. Magic has its limits you know."

"She didn't have to make this purgatory in the first place! She must be one sadistic motherfu-"

"-I wouldn't finish that if I were you. You never know who could be listening. If we're gonna meet her-"

"You found her then?" He stood up. Bonnie was dazed at his change in mood. "Brilliant. I knew you weren't as daft as my brother said-"

"Excuse me! I was the _only _one who seemed to have any intelligence a lot of the time. Don't even get me started on Damon and Stefan's harebrained plots. Half of the time they seemed to end in disaster."

He laughed. "I'll grant you that then. You've proven more than adept in comparison to those salvatores."

Bonnie made a sour face. "Gee _thanks_. You're such an ego booster."

"That's what I'm known for darling. Among other skills I've acquired over the years."

Bonnie grimaced. "I think I'll pass on what else a thousand year old vampire is good at thanks."

He smiled broadly. "Who knows? Maybe I'll give you a demonstration one day."

To his surprise and her consternation, her cheeks went bright red. She looked away. The suggestive remark was definitely not lost on her.

She cleared her throat. "I didn't exactly find her. But I know where Kazima is."

He went along with the change in topic, although one side of his mouth was still tugged up in a smile. "Where?"

She gazed up at him. "You're not gonna like it."

...

"So basically you want me to go into a place even more isolated and risk the wrath of some of the oldest witches around, where I _may_ just end up for eternity. Does that sound about right?" if she was being honest, she thought he was taking it better than expected.

"Have you even been up there witch?"

Bonnie paused. "Well no, but it just requires a bit of concentration, that's all."

"Concentration? Oh well that's a relief! I'm glad our fate is being decided upon your brain power." _His sarcasm is not getting us anywhere._

"Oh do you want me to hold your hand?" She put on her best pouty face. "It's okay to be scared-"

"I'm _not_ scared." He took a breath and lowered his voice. "I'm concerned. I value my existence, however intangible it may be at this point."

"What? And you think I don't?"

"Well not really. You haven't really shown many instances of self-preservation darling."

_Oh shit I guess he has a point._ It's not that she didn't care about her own hide, it was just that by acquiring so much power, she had felt invincible most of the time, especially because there hadn't been repercussions for the most part- at least until Grams' suffering at the spirits' hands. When expression came along, it was even worse because there was no wrath of the spirits and the power had felt infinite. Now she looked back on it with a palm to her face. How _stupid_ she had been.

Kol was _partly_ right, she grudgingly admitted. She had spent the last few years being concerned about everyone's welfare but her own that it had become habit. Although it might seem to like a nice trait to have in fairytales and whatnot, in reality, it was more foolish than brave, at least according to Kol.

_He would just have to deal._ "Well you're going to have to trust me then. Unless you don't want to do this that's fine-"

"No we have to. " He ran a hand through his scalp. "It's the only way-" he cut off before he finished.

She looked closely at his expression. He looked _desperate._

"You haven't even told me what it is you want from her. I mean come on, I'm _dead _and unless your goal is to kill all my friends then I really don't think you have anything to worry about when it comes to me."

He gazed directly into her eyes. Then he sighed. "I really don't even think this will get me anywhere but I have to _try_."

She waited patiently for his answer.

"I heard that Qetsiyah may know of a way to return to the living world."

Bonnie gaped. And promptly burst out a laugh. _I knew it_.

He glared at her. "I knew you wouldn't take it seriously."

She stared at him in disbelief. He _actually _thought...

"Well _yeah_! Don't you think if Qetsiyah had a way she would have used it on herself? Or better yet, _anyone _would have used it in the last two thousand years."

"Well it may not have been possible until now- afterall, it may have to do with Silas rising. I'm not giving up on this. Until I know it leads to nothing. I can't _stand _this place."

_Whatever floats your boat man._ She just didn't want him to feel that crushing disappointment when this was all for nothing. Her own goal was a lot more realistic.

"Alright then. But don't go all psycho on me when you realize this was all a waste of time."

He smirked. "Oh don't worry. My 'psycho' behaviour is reserved exclusively for your mates and my siblings."

She groaned. "Well that's comforting."

"It should be. It pretty much means I'll never be psycho again."

She couldn't help it. She laughed. It wasn't even funny, but ghosts could still joke about their own demise.

By not really believing that this would lead him anywhere, he wasn't setting himself up for a hopeless cause. She was, however, worried about how he would interact with Qetsiyah, _if they ever found her that is_. She was quickly discovering that Kol put up a lot of barriers from others, and that concerned her. He presented himself as aloof, cheeky and suspicious. At the same time, he could be honest and straight-forward, with a pessimism that seemed to know no bounds. She imagined that, being a thousand year vampire had its faults, which included seeing humans in their worst capacity. Hell, after what she had seen in only a couple years, she didn't really have much faith in supernaturals and humans alike. She could only wonder how he saw the world. Maybe he was completely indifferent? His family members had betrayed him multiple times and he didn't seem to trust anyone. How much value could the world have for him? Unless he indulged in some kind of hedonistic lifestyle, what was back there waiting for him?

Just then she realized, _anything is better than this place. _If that were the case, maybe he thought he would do things differently, live a different life. _Yeah _right, she mentally rejected this idea. Kol wasn't about to change his lifestyle after a thousand years. Or maybe all his desperation came down to was that he had goals to be achieved as a vampire. The first thing that popped into her head was Elena. She sincerely hoped he was over that by now. Or else, when the time came, there would be no question on her course of action. It would be Elena every time.

When she reflected back on Kol's death, the entire thing just seemed so ridiculous now. She wouldn't call Elena exactly dumb, but she definitely lacked the foresight to examine the consequences of that plan. Although Bonnie wasn't the biggest fan of vampires, she had still met ones who were worth saving. Who knows how many vampires had died when Kol was staked? A lot of them might have led a somewhat positive existence. To top it all off, the plan had led to Jeremy's death anyways, and Silas' release. This whole _cure_ business had been nothing but a headache and had ended up being for nothing, since Elena hadn't taken it, not even Rebekah (which would have made all that effort somewhat worthwhile). She couldn't believe Katherine was human. Maybe she had turned back into a vampire since Bonnie had heard the news. She seriously doubted it though; Katherine didn't exactly have a huge fanbase at this point. Vampires weren't just going to give her blood with the snap of her fingers. Bonnie could just imagine what was going on in Mystic Falls.

Her train of thought was brought to a halt at his next words.

"-Has a vampire ever been up there? How do you even know it's a possibility?"

She gazed thoughtfully at him. "Well technically, I don't. But we won't know if we don't try right? Plus, I'm more worried that they won't give us the time of day than getting there in the first place." Pausing, she added, "Shifting planes is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I just never bothered going to the third one because there was no point before." She was also going to add that he was obviously wasn't that bad at it, as he had demonstrated by popping in on her not much earlier, but she then decided to stay silent.

"Well then, what are we waiting for then?"

...

They had ultimately decided to go to the second plane and then transfer to the third one so less exertion was applied.

The one benefit of having lessened physical senses was the increase in her spiritual abilities. She was able to recognize spirits' energy over others. This enabled her to sense the power looming on the plane she was trying to access.

She could feel herself attempting to breach the plane. Kol was beside her, for once remaining silent. There was some kind of barrier preventing her from actually transporting there. It was requiring all of her mental energy to make contact.

_The witches knew_.

She could feel their energy coiling with her own. If she was to have any chance of accessing the plane, they would have to ascertain that she was not going to be a source of conflict or trouble.

She brought down her mental barriers and allowed them to see her motivations and emotions. _Come on_, _trust me._ She had no doubt they would recognize her as a Bennett witch. Hopefully that worked in her favor.

She waited. And waited. Then she sensed it.

It took only a moment. But she grasped its meaning. _An opening._

In the instant that Bonnie had to make a decision, she reacted swiftly. Before Kol had even registered what was happening, she had grasped his hand and they were gone.


	6. Snake Charmer

**A/N: Finally an update! For those who are following, sorry it was delayed a bit. I hate making up excuses but I've been working way too much. I just want a day off.**

**Thank you Fallen Witch Angel, your reviews are wonderful.**

**Anyways, enjoy the chapter. if there are errors or something is unclear, please let me know.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD.**

Snake Charmer

Bonnie quickly concluded that surprising Kol may not have been the wisest decision.

Before he even took in his surroundings, his eyes sought Bonnie while he was brushing non-existent fluff off his jacket.

"A little warning would have been nice." Bonnie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _What a drama queen._

"Oh I'm sorry. Should I have used my telepathic powers to tell you we had one _second_ to decide to go or not? We're lucky were even here. They were very reluctant to let us in."

"Then why did they?" He was now looking around the place in wonder.

It was _wondrous_, she supposed. It was so bright that her eyes had trouble adjusting at first. When they did, her eyes widened. There was no horizon, there was no landscape, there was _nothing_. Everything was white, and as far as she could discern, there was no ending to this place.

Suddenly, the white changed and pigments of colour appeared. It was slow at first, only gradually changing to a pale hue of orange but it wasn't the depressingly vacant white from before.

_Who would choose to exist here?_

Kol's thoughts seemed to reflect her own, since his eyes met hers. His face looked grim.

She had to agree with him there. This had to say something about the witches, especially by choosing to stay here.

She figured they would just be in and out. They would simply ask if Kazima or Qetsiyah was around and if they knew anything about Silas that could be used against him then that was great. If not, then at least Bonnie tried. She didn't want to be here any longer than necessary.

While they were wandering in no particular direction, Bonnie dwelled on how they were going to find the witches. It looked as if the place stretched for infinity, and she couldn't even spot shadow amongst the giant nothingness. This was a serious concern.

Perhaps the witches were deliberately concealing their location. If that were the case, she had no idea how long it would be before they were going to get out of here with what they wanted. If the witches had a sick sense of humor, they might be here _a while_.

Before Bonnie could ponder anymore, she became distracted by a faint noise.

She looked around for the source but couldn't identify anything.

"Do you hear that?"she asked Kol.

He looked at her, confused. "Hear what?"

The noise was growing louder. It was like a ringing in her ears but it was increasing in volume.

"It's like a-" she broke off. It was getting _too loud_. Unbearable. She tried covering her ears but that seemed to only make it worse. The strange thing was, it didn't feel like it was the volume that was causing her pain. It was as if someone or something was assaulting her brain, and the sound was the result, not the cause of it.

She gasped under the force of it. She could hear Kol's voice in the background. She might've heard _Bonnie _a few times but she couldn't be sure. Either she was going crazy, because she could have sworn she heard concern in his voice, or something was seriously _wrong._

Bonnie didn't get much of a chance to agonize over it. Before she knew it, she had dropped to her knees and was trying to shut out whatever was invading her mind, her _soul._

After only a few moments, she could feel everything shutting off. She couldn't take it.

_Leave me alone._

When the darkness finally came, she welcomed it.

* * *

_Bonnie_.

_Bonnie get up_.

Someone was calling her name.

"Bonnie get up!" Kol was shaking her, she realized slowly. She registered that Kol was leaning over her, grasping her upper arms, his face showing mild panic. _Panic? _She must be more exhausted than she thought if she was hallucinating. She felt like she had been run over by an eighteen-wheeler... several times.

When she made some kind of affirmative grumble he let her go and retreated a few inches so that his hands were now leaning on his knees. He had now reverted back to his typical indifferent expression. She had _definitely_ imagined it.

When she glanced away, she saw them. Three figures sitting in a circle only a few feet from where she lay.

Her eyes widened while she immediately tried to draw back on her elbows.

Kol was now lifting his hands and had an assertive look on his face. "Don't be frightened. They're the ones we've been looking for. They said you had to go through some kind of magical binding." He looked slightly abashed. "Something or rather, I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but you should be alright now."

_Alright? _She had never felt worse, even when pain had been overwhelming when she had overexerted herself as a living witch.

Bonnie looked closely at the three witches. They looked _normal_, at least for witches that is. Ayana looked a lot more eccentric than these ones, but then again, she had chosen to keep the appearance that she had when she had been alive-crazy hair and seriously ancient clothes. These witches were a lot more up to date. _Surprising_, considering they had separated themselves from the modern world. She suspected they hadn't completely, since their clothes looked modern.

Two of them were darker skinned, so Bonnie may well have been one of their descendants. One of them looked to be around fifty years old, and had big dark slanted eyes and very prominent cheekbones with shoulder-length brown hair. The younger one was very slight in figure, and had a heart-shaped face unusually cat-like. Her own black hair was tied in elaborate braids atop her head. The third one was fair skinned and had platinum, almost white hair that reached her waist in tendrils. She looked to be in her early thirties.

Now that they were no longer in any meditative state, their concentration had turned to her. They stood up, which prompted Kol to do the same. He offered his hand to Bonnie, and she took it- hesitantly at first, she had an instant mental image of Kol throwing her in the air and cackling as soon as she took his hand, but immediately disregarded the thought.

He brought her to her feet while the witches walked up to her.

The one with the braids extended her hand.

"It is remarkable to meet you, Bonnie." She had a slight accent that Bonnie could not confidently discern. Definitely _old _though. As if she didn't practice utilizing any modern language. "I have heard and _seen_ many remarkable things."

Bonnie seriously doubted that. She knew she was considered an _abomination, _as Aja put it, in many spirit circles, and that was putting it lightly. Even so, she was slightly startled to imagine that this unknown spirit had been following her tracks in the living world. She returned the handshake and awkwardly responded. "Ughh, thanks. I guess. Who are you?"

It seemed the witch was more absorbed in Bonnie's hand then what she was saying. She seemed to be _reading _her, which really freaked her out. Not that Bonnie hadn't done the same with others on occasion, but she seemed to be looking for something because suddenly her eyes widened and recognition dawned on her face.

Bonnie carefully disentangled her hand from the witch's. She didn't seem to be offended and responded her question with a smile. "I am Kazima, the one you have been seeking, yes?"

Bonnie looked to Kol. He had a questioning but serious expression.

Bonnie responded, "Yeah, but how did you-"

Kazima finished her question. "Know? It is very easy to sense someone from this plane. You will see soon enough."

Bonnie furrowed her brows. "What happened when I got here? I feel like I died all over again."

Kazima kept her face neutral. "I apologize for that, but it could not be helped. Other witches have not been up here in quite some time. There are others around, but they have no desire to be here at this moment." She offered a sympathetic smile. "When you arrived here, not only was your spirit overwhelmed by the concentration of our own, but you also had to deal with the onslaught that this plane accords to newly arrived witches. They have not adjusted to the symmetry with Gaia that this plane provides. This is the major obstacle, but you are now passed that point. You have improved remarkably fast, especially in one so young."

Bonnie was seriously confused. _Symmetry?_ _What the hell does that mean?_

She was not about to spend much longer in here to find out. On a certain level, Bonnie was infinitely curious about these witches and their abilities. Not only did they not seem crazy, although that hadn't been established, but they weren't trying to kick them out yet.

She had a lot more to be concerned with though.

Before she could get a word in, Kazima spoke again while gesturing to Kol. "This one seemed worried, but I explained to him the necessity of no interference until you showed signs of improvement."

Bonnie looked closely at Kol. _Him worried about her? _That was laughable; she didn't think he had a concerned bone in his body. If he was worried, it probably centered on whether or not he was going to get out of here if she was messed up.

Evidently, Kol felt the same. He immediately responded by quipping, "Well with you writhing on the ground like that, it wasn't exactly my idea of a good time."

Bonnie chose to ignore that comment and turned her attention back to Kazima. "Can you help us? We were told you could locate someone for us."

Kazima's dark gaze sized her up. "I am afraid I know who you are looking for. You will never find her, as she has gone to a place of true isolation."

Kol's voice bellowed, "You mean to tell me Qetsiyah isn't here? How is that possible? Where the hell else could she be?" The other two witches eyed Kol at this remark.

Bonnie glared at him while she tried to reason with Kazima. "What he _means_ is- you're not in contact with her, that is, there is no way we could meet her, just for a moment? We would be extremely grateful."

Kazima responded solemnly with a shake of her head. "I'm afraid not. None of us have seen her for quite some time. She chose to separate from the rest of us, and we had to respect that. "

Kol scowled. "Well that's wonderful isn't it? What a waste this has been."

Bonnie had to agree. Still, _there must be some way._ She couldn't give up just yet.

Kazima murmured, "Perhaps there is something I can help you with, I have been around a long time."

Bonnie felt a slight glimmer of hope. "Were you close with Qetsiyah? She may have told you about what happened when she was alive."

Kazima replied slowly. "If you want to know anything about Qetsiyah, you should just ask me. I alone know her best."

Kol stared at her. "Really? And why is that? You were bosom buddies?"

Kazima's eyes met Bonnie's hazel ones.

"I am her daughter."

* * *

After Bonnie and Kol gotten over their shock, Kazima had led them away from the other two witches that remained as of yet unknown. They sat down, and Kazima gestured for them to speak. Bonnie was instantly asking about Qetsiyah's history and her life. She felt like she was blabbering but couldn't seem to only was it fascinating learning about her ancestor, but it would also provide lots of information on Silas.

Although Kazima seemed reluctant at first to delve into her mother's past she gradually explained the story of Qetsiyah and Silas.

"They had met in Greece in their young adulthood through mutual friends. Covens had been extremely prominent in that area at that time so it was almost inevitable that they would meet." Her face was blank, which Bonnie found odd. Perhaps because it had been so long, Kazima felt indifferent to it. "They came to care for one another very quickly but it was not as innocent as a blooming friendship. While Qetsiyah grew to love Silas, he only maintained feelings of friendship towards her." A dark glimmer appeared in her eyes. "My mother was fooled by Silas, and he gradually took advantage of her romantic feelings for him. She became ignorant of anything but her devotion to Silas, did anything that he asked and would have sacrificed any and all for him."

Bonnie interrupted, "So you knew Silas then?"

Kazima sighed and her voice lowered. "I never had the chance. He was already entombed when I was born. But my father used to speak of his influence over Qetsiyah. She was far better off when he was gone, but she never forgot though. There was still a part of her that longed for him. The reason she made this place at all lie in her hopes to be with him. That he would _finally_ choose her."

Kol muttered, "Yeah I'm sure he was very forgiving after she killed his 'one true love'."

Kazima turned to Kol. "She suffered the ultimate betrayal and paid dearly for her actions. His forgiveness was the last thing on her mind."

"What, she caught them in the act then?"

Kazima smiled bitterly. "In several acts. He broke her heart, in more ways than one." She looked deep in thought but then shook her head. "Now I dare not say anything more about this. It's not a pleasant topic."

Although Bonnie wanted to know so much more, she wasn't about to push the subject. Kazima's cryptic words bothered her but she slid them to the back of her mind. So far, this witch had proven civil and Bonnie wasn't about to make things difficult for them.

Kol asked abruptly, "What do you know of returning to the world of the living? Qetsiyah has been associated with talk of resurrection, is there any truth to this?"

Kazima's eyes sized him up. Although her expression was blank, she seemed to be debating how to respond.

"I _may_ know of something. Qetsiyah once mentioned something that could bring someone back." Her tone grew more serious. "But why should I even consider this? What makes you so special to be brought back to life? Being a very old vampire, you haven't seemed to use your time on earth with value."

Bonnie cringed when she heard his next statement. "If you want me to do charitable work or volunteer, I have to warn you I'm not really-", Kol was cut off by her stinging reply.

"This isn't some superficial task I'm asking of you. I want a guarantee of something _worthwhile_, proof that you actually deserve to go back. Not only would you be offsetting the balance of Nature by coming back, but you would most likely contribute more of the undead to that world. Something has to convince me that your life is worth more than the average soul."

Kol whistled. "I really don't understand what you're asking. You want me to kill a bunch of vampires or something?" He didn't appear to be taking any of this seriously.

Her eyes grew intent.

"Only _one _vampire."

* * *

Kol sputtered incredulously. "You have _got_ to be joking! You want me to kill an _immortal warlock_ who also happens to be a vengeful blood-sucker who can't be killed by _anything_ on this earth."

Bonnie interjected while looking at Kazima. "How could he possibly kill him if he can't even find him? When I tried to sense him, I couldn't even get a mild signal on his location. A vampire would have even worse luck."

Kazima looked pleased. "That's the beauty of the situation. The object you are seeking can trace Silas but also bring ones back to earth. But your help will be needed my dear. As a Bennett witch, you will be able to sense its location."

Bonnie was skeptical. "What exactly is this object then?"

"Qetsiyah's talisman."

Bonnie sighed internally. She hated to be the bearer of bad news, but Qetsiyah's talisman hadn't proven useful in that department. Plus, she couldn't see it bringing people back from the dead.

Bonnie murmured, "Listen Kazima, I already had the talisman and it wasn't exactly-"

Kazima interrupted harshly, "Not that rubbish that is at your home. I am speaking of a _second _talisman that no one knows of." She paused to explain. "When Silas was entombed, Qetsiyah became a different person, a different _witch_. This new crystal was harvested from channeling the sun during a very powerful solar flare. Although I have not seen it done, I imagine it has enough power to take someone back from the veil permanently, without actually destroying the Other Side."

"How do you even know about this? I mean, wouldn't you use it yourself?"

"Because, descendant, as a witch on this plane, I see things with a lot more clarity. I value the balance of Nature and its will more than anything else. However, now that Silas is roaming the earth once again, it is inevitable that he will cause havoc. He must be stopped, no matter the cost."

Kol was now grinning from ear to ear. It seemed having to be Silas' slayer was not deterring him from enjoying the part about being alive again.

"Alright, I'll do it then."

"Then I want your word. Swear it."

Kol sighed and grumbled out, "I swear on my life as a vampire that I will destroy the immortal Silas."

Kazima added seriously, "No matter the _cost_."

Kol repeated, "No matter the cost." He shrugged at Bonnie, as if wondering what kind of sacrifice will be needed to take down the immortal.

Kazima nodded. "Good." She turned to Bonnie. "You'll have to go back too. He will need your help-"

_"Wait_ a second, she's coming with me? That's a lot more responsibility that I'm comf-"

"You _will _be bringing her back. Only she will be able to sense the talisman in the first place and then to channel its power. A Bennett is essential for this."

She continued, "Now, I will have to transfer some of my spiritual energy to Bonnie, in order for her to even utilize this tool."

The last few moments, Bonnie had been lost in her thoughts. _Could she really go back? _It seemed too good to be true. As if everything was falling into place. And much too quickly for her to grasp. It almost felt _too_ easy, like there was more to what was going on. She tried reasoning that sometimes good things just happen for no underlying reason, that it was just fate, but a lingering doubt still remained.

Would Kol uphold his word? She certainly hoped so. Not that it would do much good, how would he prove better than anyone else? How on earth could they get rid of Silas now that the cure was gone? Did Kazima know something they didn't?

If this situation was for real, how would she explain her absence? What if the town already knew she was dead? There was a huge complicated mess just waiting for her in the real world and she was definitely not prepared for that, especially after the emotional upheaval of adjusting to being a ghost. She would never be the same, would always look at the world in a new light. Her values had changed- if what Kazima was telling was the truth, then Bonnie was about to place a lot more value on her time on earth. She wasn't going to waste time persecuting vampires or living only through magic. There was a lot more to life than magical prowess and she wasn't going to miss out on it a second time. Granted, she still loved her friends and wanted to help them, but she reflected that the impulsiveness and risky ventures characteristic of Bonnie Bennett had gotten her nowhere. She was going to weigh decisions a lot more carefully.

Bonnie's train of thought ended when Kazima continued, "Are you ready, my dear?"

"Wait a minute."

Both of the witches turned to look at Kol. He looked indignant.

"Aren't you going to make her swear also?" At their questioning gazes, he uttered. "You know? Swear that she'll stop Silas and all that."

Kazima smiled serenely. "I already know that I can trust Bonnie. She knows the importance of stopping Silas. It is projecting off her in waves." She stopped for a moment. "Just as I know that you are the type who values your word. Especially when it comes to your life. You are the type who cherishes it above all else. I knew that was the way to entice you to accomplish this task."

_Wow_, she basically just told him he's a selfish prick. He was nodding however (mostly to himself), as if he agreed with that description. Of course knowing Kol, he would simply take it all in stride. Bonnie would hate it if her character was summed up that way, but then again, she hadn't been on the earth for even a fraction of the time that he had. It's not as if he cared what others thought of him.

"Now, back to the present."

Bonnie gazed at Kazima curiously.

"Give me your hands Bonnie."

Bonnie hesitated and then placed them in Kazima's own.

Kazima's eyes closed.

Bonnie looked at Kol questioningly. He just shrugged and looked as baffled as her.

Kazima started whispering enchantments so fast that Bonnie couldn't even decipher what was being said.

If this was magic, how was that possible? Magic didn't exist on the Other Side, or so she had always believed.

Bonnie was beginning to doubt that anything was happening until she felt a large jolt starting at her fingertips. She jumped from the shock. The feeling then spread into her palms and arms until it flowed through her entire body. The onslaught of sensation caused her to gasp.

It was overwhelming until the sensitivity finally lessened. The feeling now resonated _within_ her. As if it had settled and wasn't leaving.

Bonnie started, "What-"

Kazima cut her off. "I gave you a portion of my abilities. This will allow you more acute control over sensitivity to magic. In other words, you will be able to find the device."

Bonnie was going to ask her why she didn't just seek the device herself but thought better of it. Kazima had displayed an urge to remain on this plane and perhaps that was the reason. Even so, the whole situation just felt bizarre. She would have to go along with it. It was too late to turn back now.

Kol clasped his hands together.

"Well, now that that's settled. What say you and I go find ourselves a talisman?"

Kazima stated, "You'll want to go to Greece. That's where you'll find it."

He looked enthusiastic.

"Excellent, I fancy seeing the Sistine Chapel again."

"That's in Italy Kol."

"Oh right. It's all blending together now." He sighed.

"Well, the Acropolis then."


	7. Enchanted Hill

**A/N: I can't believe how quickly I wrote this chapter. I just couldn't contain myself! I hope you all enjoy this. I had fun writing it!**

**I recommend listening to The Album Leaf. The chapter refers to one of the songs. I definitely think it's appropriate considering the content.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything TVD.**

Enchanted Hill

Bonnie had rehearsed the meeting with Kazima repeatedly in her head. A part of her was still in denial that this was happening. She was trying to avoid getting her hopes up but still couldn't contain the giddiness she felt at the thought of getting back her old life. _She would see her friends and family again. _Maybe even have some semblance of a normal life. She felt like she had been on an emotional rollercoaster for the last year. Normalcy would be most welcome. Although that was pretty difficult when you were in frequent contact with a doppelgänger and vampires who seemed to attract trouble at a freakish rate.

After finally starting to accept her death on some small level, the chaos had begun and here she was, trying to find a talisman on some part of mainland Greece. A part of her felt crazy for even attempting this in the first place.

"Where did you say we are right now?" she shouted out to Kol.

"Just outside Vikos, a small village."

"No, I meant _this," _she said while gesturing to the mountainous landscape with a vast canyon in the middle. They were perched on a very _narrow_ rocky cliff- perilously close to the edge. She estimated that they were probably a couple thousand feet above the river below.

He faced her. "Well if you want specifics, we're in the Vikos _Gorge_."

When she looked down, she could spot greenery amongst the jagged rock. If she wasn't a ghost she would probably be having a heart attack. Although the landscape was stunning and awe-inspiring, it was also extremely frightening. She had _never _been good with heights.

Kol was standing further out on the ledge of the rocky face and he was now scanning the shrubs thousands of feet below.

This whole place was making her on edge. Its striking beauty couldn't quite mask the desolate atmosphere that she was sensing. Bonnie's anxious state had only increased the closer they got to the talisman. A part of it was luring her closer- a magnetic pull- but another part of her was repelled by it. Almost afraid- as if she wasn't meant to have it. The conflicting feelings only added to her agitation.

"There it is! See it?" Kol's loud exclamation brought her thoughts to a halt. She drew her attention to where he was pointing. She looked down at the shrubbery below and spotted it. Sure enough, _there it was_. Amongst the bright thicket on the other side, the rocks and shrubs formed together to resemble a human face. It was rough-looking but it remained a face all the same.

Kazima had been right. Her directions in the finding the talisman were dead on.

She had led them to this very spot so Bonnie couldn't afford to falter now.

"Come on. Let's get down there." He went back up to her and grabbed her arm suddenly.

She quickly found herself engulfed in bushes and was impulsively trying to swat away bugs that phased right through her.

Now that they were at the bottom, Bonnie gave a loud exhale and relaxed a margin. She found the view much more appealing being closer to the ground.

She was so focused on treading through the rough rocky formation that she bumped into Kol's still figure.

"Why did you st-"

She broke off when she peered around him and saw what had stopped him. He had been gazing at what must be a cave opening.

_Not another one. _Bonnie whined internally. _Seriously_, what was with these ancient witches and their love of caves? They were dark, gloomy and random drafts came out of nowhere. She guessed that was the point- for most people caves weren't exactly a place of great appeal- hence the perfect hiding place.

Bonnie and Kol stared at one another.

"Let's get this over with shall we?"

She just nodded.

The opening was covered in shrubs but being ghosts they had only to phase through them. Kol went first and Bonnie proceeded after him. When she expected to be able to pass right through the first bit of greenery, she discovered to her shock that she could feel the leaves and branches actually _touch _her.

"_What_ the-?! Kol wait-"

He was still advancing forward but she could barely make out his figure out amongst the dense bushes.

"What's the matter witch? Afraid of caves or something? You should be quite comfortable in small dark places since-"

"Look at me!" she shouted loudly.

That stopped him. He turned around and glanced back at her.

He was frowning as he retreated back to where she was.

"What is it?"

"I can't pass through," she growled loudly.

"What do you mean? Of course you can, you just-"

"I'm telling you I _can't_. Look-" And she proceeded to try and pass through. The branches were advancing towards him when she tried to force her way through, moving further as they made contact with her body.

"Bloody hell." He looked both sullen and shocked.

"My thoughts exactly."

"How is this even possible? What the fuck did she do to you?"

"I _thought_ she just made me a tracking device. There's obviously more to it than that."

"How the hell does she expect you to find the bloody thing if you can't even go through a bunch of leaves? Are you even a ghost anymore?"

"Oh trust me, I'm still a ghost."

She still felt the _same_. Her senses were still dimmed and she could transport at a moment's notice. Plus, all the bugs had still gone right through her and she even had the faint glow characteristic of ghosts. It was just the leaves that didn't like her.

"Give me your arm then."

She raised her arm and his hand phased through a few branches before it clasped around her arm.

"I can still touch you so I suppose that's promising." He looked to be deep in thought.

"What if you try that channel thing with me? Could I force you through all this then?"

She debated. "I suppose it's possible," she said slowly.

"Good, 'cus we're about to try that right now."

She sighed. "Okay, give me a moment."

She closed her eyes and focused all of her energy on him. Her _new _energy. She could feel it embracing his energy as she forced it to bind.

It seems Kol had sensed the precise moment of that binding because he was suddenly dragging her through the shrubbery at a wicked pace. When Bonnie opened her eyes, he was launching her through a dense thicket of bushes. They should have been whacking her in the face like they would have, but now they were practically invisible- that's how little she noticed them. She tried to maintain her concentration on the binding but it was growing difficult.

Before she knew it, they had entered the clearing and they were firmly in the cave. And it was _dark_.

Kol let go of her but not before muttering, "That witch had better not have any more surprises in store for us."

She definitely agreed. Now that Bonnie thought back on it, Kazima could have done whatever she wanted and Bonnie wouldn't have a clue. Not a comforting thought.

"Lucky for us, we glow a little bit," she stated quietly.

"I guess you're right. It's dark enough as it is."

They could faintly discern a narrow passage a few metres away from them. They had no choice to go but one direction.

While they were walking through the tunnel, Bonnie could herself being drawn to something powerful grow and knew they were going in the right direction. _And that was the problem_. Something was off about the whole situation. _Or maybe not._ Bonnie was just so used to hang-ups in a plan and since this one was proceeding along almost perfectly she couldn't help but felt uneasy about it.

After walking silently for about two or three minutes, Bonnie didn't see the harm in starting conversation. It would distract her from being so tense.

"So...if this does work out what are you going to do when you go back?"

"You mean after we kill Silas?"

"You really meant that then?"

His voice raised a fraction. "Of course I meant it. I'm not gonna _lie"_. He almost sounded offended.

She was surprised. So he had scruples then?

"Oh! Well that's good."

There was a bit of a silence before she spoke again.

"But I meant after that? I mean are you going to be with your family? Or go off on your own?"

He ran a hand through his hair.

"I hadn't really thought about it to be honest." He sighed. "All I've been trying to do is get there, let alone wrap my mind around what sort of life I'll lead."

"Oh."

He spoke again. "Though now that I think on it, I imagine I _will_ visit my family. If they'll have me that is. We didn't exactly part on the best of terms. Rebekah thought I would've staked her and Klaus and I had a row not long before I died."

"So you wouldn't have?"

"What?"

"Staked Rebekah?"

"Of course not! She's my_ sister_! She-" He broke off and took a breath. "We have a very complicated family dynamic. We're almost always bickering, and when we're not, it's simply because we're not around each other. But-" he paused, "we would do _anything_ to protect each other."

She smiled. "You know, when you put it like that, you guys actually sound _normal_."

He responded quietly, "We are you know. Just like any other family I mean, we've just had a lot more time to bicker." He laughed. "I think most families would turn out like ours if given the time."

"You're probably right." When Bonnie reflected on her own family, it wasn't much better. Granted, she wasn't _always_ fighting with her parents but that's because they had never been around. The only one she had been able to count on was Grams, who had been drunk on many occasions when Bonnie had visited her when she had been alive. She had opened up a world of magic to Bonnie, and that allowed her to overlook any moments of awkwardness from the past.

Kol's voice cut off any more thoughts.

"What about you witch? Any dreams of grandeur?"

Bonnie thought about it.

"Well I'll probably have an ice cream from Jack & Jill's-"

Kol's incredulous tone interrupted, "_Ice cream_? Really? That's all you can think about?"

"Not _just_ ice cream- there's also a great bakery in Mystic Falls with the best cream puffs ever-"

"Oh I get it."

"What?"

"You're just gonna gorge on food."

"Wow, way to sound judgmental. Until you've tried Jack & Jill's you cannot judge." She paused a moment. "Besides, you're one to talk."

"Excuse me?"

She smirked. "Don't tell me you haven't fantasized about drinking someone's blood, probably right from the vein."

He laughed. "I've had a lot more fantasies than that darling." He lowered his voice to a sensual whisper. "There's one where I'm on top of a-"

She raised her hand. "Ugh, please spare me the details-"

"-_Motorcycle."_

That was such an un-Kol-like response that Bonnie burst out laughing.

He grinned and broached the topic again.

"But seriously my dear, after you've gorged on all that junk, what will you do then?"

She shrugged.

"Well it goes without saying- that I'll have reunited with everyone in Mystic Falls by then. I mean, we'll need their help-"

"Definitely _not_. We will not be seeking their help for _anything_-" His voice held a steely note.

She tried to reason with him. "Listen, I know you've got a problem with Elena, and I understand but-"

"No, you _don't_ understand. The whole Gilbert clan is responsible for me being here. In case you didn't realize, they are the reason why we are both dead in the first place."

She was frowning now. "Wait that's not being fair, I was the one who overused my magic-"

"Because Jeremy died, after seeking the cure for _Elena_. And now we have to fix the problem that they started by raising Silas. We are doing all of their dirty work for them and they're not even going to thank us for it."

"Which is all the more reason to seek their help. Don't you think they should contribute-"

"Absolutely not. Any help we seek will be from my family, or other witches."

He was being so _stubborn_. "But don't you think-"

"Enough!" He had turned around and faced her. Before she realized what was happening she was shoved against the cave wall with his hands wrapped around her upper arms. "Why do you value them so much? Do you really think they _care_?"

"Kol let me go." She tried staying calm.

He continued and put his face close to hers. "They don't give a _damn_. I bet they still don't even know you're dead. Because they don't even look at the _obvious_- your random disappearance without even a goodbye _coincidentally_ at the same time as dear old Jeremy's return to the living."

He whispered harshly, "You may value them Bonnie, but they don't value _you_. If they take Jeremy's word at face value, then they're even bigger fools than I thought. Even when you come back, they will always choose Elena over you, even after all you've been through. You will never be cherished." He paused. "As you should be."

Through his entire tirade, Bonnie had been startled at the venom in his voice. She didn't want to hear any of it but the words hadn't stopped. She had felt anger and denial at his words. But suddenly, some of the words started to have significance. She understood where he was coming from.

After being separated from her friends for so long, the rose-coloured glasses had started to come off. She saw the flaws in her friends. The naivety. The brashness. And most of all, how they _saw _her. In the last year or so, it was always Bonnie to the rescue. Bonnie who would fix things. She would never want to be helpless like Elena often was, but she did crave someone caring for her as Stefan and Damon cared for Elena. Bonnie loved her independence, but she never had anyone to lean on when things got rough. She thought Shane would have been her rock, but that was all a shit storm. It all ended up with her being alone again. Maybe her friends did care for her, but she could acknowledge that they were often ignorant of her feelings. And that bothered her.

Her thoughts ended when she looked into Kol's eyes. His gaze was stormy but also held a touch of desperation. A desperation for her to see what he was saying- not just brush it off like she might have done. And she couldn't deny the appreciation she felt that he would even bother.

When she didn't say anything, he frowned and eased off her. _He thought she was ignoring him_. She couldn't let things end that way. It was a tense moment but Bonnie didn't care.

He turned his back to her and exhaled. He started to walk away from her.

"Wait."

She grabbed his right hand to stop him. He looked down at their joined hands in confusion.

"You're right. They've never cared about me as much as Elena. And none of them probably ever will."

She sighed. "But that's not what this is about. We have a goal right here and right now. And that is to kill Silas. Which means we have to put aside our differences and our anger at others to accomplish this. Believe me, I know you're pissed, but we may need their help, even if you don't want to admit it. Extra sets of hands are a bonus right? More help." She tried to smile encouragingly.

He was scowling. "But more vulnerability."

"I guess you have a point. But the pros outweigh the costs, right?"

He didn't say anything.

"I need you on my side Kol."

He rolled his eyes but tightened his grip on her hand before releasing it. "And you've got me I suppose."

He added. "But don't expect me to be bffs with any of them in the near future. And by near future, I mean at least a century, possibly two."

She smiled widely. _At least they were on the same page_.

* * *

Bonnie and Kol were once again walking side by side when they finally were out of the passage.

The tunnel suddenly ended and they found themselves in a large open area. Bits of light reflected off a shallow pool of water that lay in the center. Large clusters of stalactites hung suspended from the ceiling. Bonnie couldn't help but imagine that they would fall on her. And if they did, she might feel it if the leaves were anything to go by.

Kol spoke. "Well do you feel anything?"

Bonnie definitely felt _something_. She managed to pinpoint the general direction.

She pointed to the cavernous passage to the left. "Down there I think."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah."

This passage was much narrower than the first that they could no longer walk beside each other. Bonnie followed in after Kol.

"Let's hope this one is shorter than the last one," he murmured.

After that, they remained silent. The only noise that could be heard was the faint dripping echoing from the large main room they had just left.

Bonnie started to get a much stronger sense of the talisman. It was reaching out to her- almost overpowering. _I'm coming_.

But then they reached the end.

"What the hell? It must be here." Kol was scrutinizing every inch of the place.

The hallway ended in a pile of soot and rock and widened out marginally. Bonnie knew they were close. _It was only a few feet away_.

"Hold on Kol, let me concentrate." Bonnie closed her eyes and focused all of her attention on the talisman, recalling every detail that Kazima had given. She kept her eyes firmly shut and took steps intuitively towards it.

She stopped and opened her eyes when she bumped into the wall.

_What could she do now_?

"What is it?" Kol's eyes were focused on her figure.

"It's in there. I can feel it."

"Oh great." He let out an exasperated sigh.

Bonnie felt herself go in a trance. _I can feel you_. She didn't bother recognizing the peculiarity of communicating with it as if it were a living being.

She placed her hands on the rough scaly wall and drew it out. A loud rumble followed.

"What are you doing?"

Bonnie didn't answer. So focused on what she was doing, she could only hear the pulsing of the object.

But Kol noticed. Cracks had started forming from the ceiling and they had started spreading downward to where Bonnie stood.

Something was moving beyond the wall and it was tearing down the wall in the process.

"Bonnie."

She still didn't seem to hear him.

"Bonnie!"

He grasped her shoulders. "Can you hear me?"

Her gaze swung to his, confused. "What?"

"It's-" he was cut off when a large object burst through the wall into Bonnie's middle. The force of it knocked her over.

"Shit! Are you alright?"

He kneeled over her.

Her voice murmured, "I think so. Just a bit of a shock. I didn't think it would come out so fast."

His eyes swung to the chest in her arms. It had intricate lines all over it and was a faded grey colour.

She met his eyes.

"Now I know why I couldn't pass through the leaves. I had to be able to _carry_ the talisman back."

He grinned. _That devious witch_. He hoped that was the only thing Kazima had left out.

They were both startled when cracks and rubble started falling from the ceiling. The place was starting to emit a dull roar.

"We better get out of here."

Bonnie only gave an affirmative motion.

Kol took her hand.

"Let's hope this works."

And with that, he transported them to the outside of the cave.

Bonnie then promptly collapsed on the ground.

Kol squatted beside her. "What happened to you back there? You completely zoned out."

Bonnie responded softly, "I don't know. It was weird. I couldn't stop, it had a hold on me or something."

He gazed at the chest solemnly. "I really hope this is what we're looking for. Because we're not about to go back in there."

He helped her up. "Are you ready to go now? Kazima told us what to do."

"Yeah." She stopped for a moment. "This is just _so_ weird."

"What? You and me working together or the possibility of going back?"

She looked up at him. "Both."

"I guess that makes two of us then."

They both jumped at the snap of a branch.

"What do you think that is?" Bonnie whispered.

"Probably just some animal."

He looked in the direction the sound originated and couldn't spot anything.

He uttered quickly, "But just in case it isn't and the person sees a case floating around in midair, let's get out of here."

Another branch snapped.

"Wait," Bonnie said. "Let's go behind there." For some reason, she had to see what it was.

They moved behind some dense bushes while they waited for whatever it was that was moving around just beyond their sight.

The sound of footfalls gradually became louder until the figure made its appearance.

"Stefan," Bonnie whispered.

_What the hell?_

What was he doing here? She wanted to call him over, but knew he wouldn't hear or see her.

He looked a little bit different. More grim, if that was possible.

Was he looking for the object? If that was the case, why was he alone? How would he even know about it?

Bonnie almost wanted to let her presence be known by walking over with the chest until Kol stopped her.

"Look."

Stefan was now at the front of the cave entrance where they had been only moments before.

He was utterly still for a moment until he made a wide gesture with his arms and the bushes that Bonnie had so difficulty with earlier suddenly parted. It was like watching a remake of Moses parting the Red Sea.

Two sets of eyes widened.

"I don't think that's Stefan," Kol murmured softly.

_Silas._ Bonnie couldn't believe it. Why was he imitating Stefan? He could've been in his true form and no one would have noticed. Bonnie didn't really see the importance of hiding himself when no one else was around. Maybe he was just a paranoid guy.

Why would he want the talisman though? Another way to kill himself?

Bonnie didn't intend on being there to find out. Silas would be beyond pissed when he found the talisman gone. They weren't about to risk losing it because she was mildly curious.

"Let's get out of here," she whispered urgently.

"With you there darling."


	8. Way Back Home

**A/N: Oh my goodness, this one is a bit longer than usual. I couldn't stop myself once again. If you guys have any thoughts you want to share, don't be afraid of leaving a review. I always appreciate them. I want to know that everything makes sense for those who are reading this.**

**I loved writing this one. I finally got to where I want this story to be. And Bonnie isn't gonna be so depressed anymore. Hint hint, read title lol. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD.**

Way Back Home

Kol had whisked Bonnie and himself to the first spot he could think of- which happened to be a crowded nightclub. People were parting in clusters when they noticed a chest hovering midair.

"Kol?! What the hell?"

He looked sheepish. "Sorry darling. Just one moment."

He then took them to an appropriate place, a _vacant _forest.

Bonnie put the chest down and faced him.

"Why do you think Silas was there?"

"Beats me." He was furrowing his brows.

"I can't believe this." She started mumbling to herself. "And why was he imitating Stefan?" She sounded so disbelieving.

"Let's just be glad he didn't manage to take it from us. Not that he could actually harm us, but you never know."

"You're pretty confident that he wanted the talisman?" she asked quietly.

"I have no doubt of it." His face was somber. Seeing Kol worried was only increasing her own anxiety. Initially, he had been all about joviality and sarcastic comments, but the more she got to know him, the more he revealed- which was a much more serious personality than she would ever have thought. Being thrown into such a situation with Bonnie, he was forced to be more honest than usual. For some odd reason, Bonnie felt relieved at the thought.

"Kol?"

He looked closely at her. "Yeah?"

"What are we gonna do?" She was reeking of unease.

"Exactly what we planned." He answered quickly. His voice was brash. "We'll give the talisman to your boy Jeremy and hopefully all this magical juju will work and we'll be good as new."

Bonnie smiled faintly.

Seeing Silas had brought back all of her old fears, her feelings of uncertainty and lack of confidence.

At least they had their plan.

When Kazima had revealed that there was a talisman, she had also given them instructions on how to use it. Once the object was found, it had to be given to someone living, in order for Bonnie and Kol to be tethered to the living world. None of it required spirit magic. And Bonnie assumed that meant expression, which Bonnie was really dreading if that was the case.

Kol's laugh brought her out of her thoughts.

"We should probably check that it's in there in the first place."

Bonnie let out a shaky laugh. "Yeah that's probably important."

There was no lock on the chest. Only a small knob.

Bonnie only had to hover her hand close to the opening and it promptly burst open.

She let out a small gasp.

It was a crystal. And it was glowing. Like emitting actual rays of light.

No wonder Bonnie had felt such a strong pull towards it. The thing was practically pulsing with life.

She picked it up. It was surprisingly light.

"It's pretty amazing, isn't it?" she was looking at it with wonder. "How much power is in this one little thing."

Kol was looking at her face. "Uh, sure. Listen we'd better get out of here, we're only a couple hundred miles away from those mountains." He nodded at the crystal. "Having that object along is making transportation a lot more difficult."

Bonnie was amazed that they could even teleport with it at all, considering it was a real world object and ghosts normally couldn't touch _anything_. Whatever Kazima had done, she had given some sort of magic to Bonnie. How that was even possible was mind-boggling. There was definitely more to this witch than met the eye.

Bonnie reluctantly put the crystal back in the chest. She picked it up and Kol took them to a very _familiar _looking forest.

"Are we in Mystic Falls?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Well, this is where he'll be, yeah?"

"I guess. I mean, I haven't seen any of them since I died. I haven't really-"

"Wanted to." He gazed at her seriously. "I get it, sort of. I didn't exactly linger around watching my family when the veil went back up."

It could be tough being a ghost. It was funny that she and Kol both had that in common- the whole avoidance issue. Most ghosts wanted to be around their loved ones and hold onto it, but they both did the opposite; they wanted to escape the pain of watching everyone move on.

Which reminded her.

"Before we do anything, there's something I have to do." She lowered the chest to the ground beside a tree.

"Alright, but make it snappy witch. The longer we wait, the more risk involved."

She nodded jerkily. "I won't be long. Just stay here. And don't let it out of your sight."

His tone was sardonic."You think I'm gonna take a stroll-"

He broke off when she suddenly disappeared.

_Bloody witches._

* * *

It was in a small cabin that Bonnie found Sheila.

She came across her grandmother sitting in a kitchen chair.

Before Bonnie was even in her line of vision Sheila spoke.

"I know why you're here," She drawled. Sheila swiveled her head around to gaze at Bonnie. "You came to say goodbye." She looked wistful.

Bonnie stared. "How did you-"

"You think I don't know my own granddaughter? You're the most caring person I know. Tenacious as well. If there was a way to help your friends I knew you would find it."

"I'm sorry Grams."

"Don't be sorry. I'm glad you're going back." Her face turned regretful. "You were too young to die as it was. I'm just afraid for you is all. Afraid you're gonna end up back here even worse. That you're gonna regret everything you're about to do."

She added, "There will be consequences Bonnie. You may not see it now, but nothing good can come with messing with Nature. You've seen that already, but this is different. I can feel it."

Bonnie felt a trickle of fear go through her. She really hoped her grandmother was wrong this time. _Couldn't anything go smoothly? _Bonnie had the sudden urge to ask Grams to go with her, but she already knew the answer. Grams was at home here. She didn't need to be alive to be content. After what she just said, she knew Grams wouldn't be comfortable going against the balance. She was on her own. In some ways anyway. She still had Kol. _For now._

Grams stood up and Bonnie rushed to her in an embrace. She could feel her heart breaking. Bonnie couldn't help but believe that she was abandoning her.

Sheila murmured, "Don't worry Bonnie. I'll see you again. We always do, remember?"

Bonnie nodded and gave a weak smile.

Sheila let her go. Bonnie turned to leave but Sheila's voice stopped her.

"Please be careful. And don't trust _any_ witches. The ones in our group were truthful, but believe me, there are those that are shady and underhanded. I know you haven't come across that many in your young life but I knew quite a few when I was alive, and they weren't a good sort."

"I'll be careful Grams."

"Good."

* * *

Kol didn't question where she was when she arrived back. He seemed to know that she wanted to keep it private and she was grateful for that.

She once again heaved the chest in her arms. And Kol deftly took them to Jeremy.

...

Bonnie felt bad for surprising Jeremy. She hadn't intended on scaring him but it really couldn't be helped.

Kol hadn't given her any warning that they were immediately going into his bedroom.

The first thing she realized was that it was a completely different house, which made sense considering the Gilbert home had burnt down. She almost forgot about that.

The jolt from teleporting combined with the shock of seeing Jeremy sit at his computer desk had caused Bonnie to drop the chest.

Jeremy jumped from the sudden noise. He turned around rapidly and made a loud exclamation as he tumbled from the sight in front of him.

"What-?! _Bonnie?" _He started shouting more expletives before he registered Kol standing behind her. "You! What the hell are you doing here? Get out-" Jeremy then dashed over to Bonnie to grab her. Of course he couldn't actually pull her away from Kol so he settled for quickly hugging her and standing between her and Kol.

"If you hurt her or-"

"Oh please. Spare us the juvenile heroics," Kol mocked loudly.

"Kol!" Bonnie glared at him.

Bonnie tried to placate Jeremy. She put her hands on his upper arms."Jer, just calm down. Everything's okay. He's good." She said while gesturing to Kol.

"_Good?! _He tried to kill me Bonnie-" Jeremy's expression was of disbelief.

"Yeah if you hadn't killed me first, boy-" Kol was practically growling.

"In self defense-!" Jeremy retorted.

"Oh don't play that with me. You wanted to kill my sire line to finish that _stupid_ hunter's mark. _Great idea_, by the way, it really worked out well for you-"

"Stop it!" Bonnie shouted out.

They both turned and looked at her.

Bonnie took a deep breath. She turned to Jeremy. "Listen, sorry about the shocker. But we need your help-"

Jeremy interrupted her, "Where have you been? You could've visited me anytime and instead you're hanging around _him_. He's a monster-"

"For fuck's sakes-" Bonnie slightly cringed, she wasn't used to a lot of swearing from Kol, with the exception of _bloody _which he seemed overly fond of. "-this is no time to be moping around because she didn't visit you for tea. We've had a lot more going on than your angsty return to the living."

"Oh I can't _wait_ to hear this. You..." Bonnie tuned them out. They weren't getting _anywhere_. She could still hear them trading insults back and forth. She went up to the chest and deftly picked it up.

She then slammed it loudly on the floor. Bonnie then looked down at it. _I really hope I didn't break it._

The ear-piercing slam caused the two of them to stare at her.

"Now, if the two of you are _finished_ acting like pansy little girls we have shit to get done."

Jeremy sighed. "You better hope my neighbours didn't hear that. We're in a townhouse now."

"Well if they did, you can just tell them that everything's fine," Kol answered easily.

"I doubt it," Jeremy mumbled. "They seem to think I'm suicidal or something-"

"Gee I wonder why." Kol said sarcastically.

Jeremy glared at him and opened his mouth to retort something.

Bonnie cut him off before he could say anything.

"Jeremy." She said loudly. "There is some really important we have to tell you. So you're going to want to listen to me." His attention was back on Bonnie.

"The first thing being-," she paused for a second, "-we need your help to bring us back."

Jeremy stared at her. "You mean _back_ back? Like alive back?"

Bonnie smiled. "Yeah that kind of back."

Jeremy laughed and forgot all about his earlier anger. He clasped his hands together. "Tell me what to do."

* * *

Although Jeremy seemed reluctant to bring Kol back, Bonnie insisted that it was either both of them are nothing. Kol had grinned widely at that comment. He was also amused when Bonnie made sure that he was invited in, so that when (not if) he was a vampire again, he wouldn't be in some awful agony by being in the house. Kol then huffed when Bonnie made him promise not to kill Jeremy _or _Elena. Jeremy had smirked at him after Kol grudgingly swore that he wouldn't.

Bonnie told Jeremy that his role in this was vital. Not only because he was a medium, but because he had spent a lengthy period of time on the Other Side- creating an essential connection to Bonnie and Kol. Any other medium wouldn't be as effective.

Bonnie hadn't really understood the magical aspect of it because part of it, she suspected, had to do with the magical properties that Kazima had bestowed in her. Kazima had also been extremely vague when it came to that. As long as it worked, she guessed it didn't really matter.

Bonnie was feeling anxious ten-fold. _What if it didn't work? _Bonnie tried to comfort herself by knowing that Grams was still back there, but it didn't seem to help. She wanted this so _desperately_.

They decided that they would do this in the kitchen. Bonnie had spent enough time in forests lately that she wanted to do this indoors. The location didn't matter anyways since they had Jeremy and the talisman. Spirits weren't going to be involved in this.

Jeremy had informed them that no one would be visiting unexpectedly. Elena and Damon had gone on some kind of road trip for a few days. There were so many things that Bonnie wanted to ask him right now. But then she thought, _later_.

They were now sitting at the kitchen table.

Jeremy asked, "So, how does this work exactly? Do you guys just hold onto me and I mentally bring you back?" He sounded uncertain.

Bonnie answered softly. "From what she said, it sounds like we just have to be physically touching, and I'll be doing all the work. You just have to clear your mind and hold onto this." She pulled out the crystal and handed it to him. It seemed to brighten even further when it touched his skin.

_Here we go_.

Bonnie recalled Kazima's words. _Draw on the energy I've given you. It will bond with this Jeremy and then you will feel it._

Since Kol was sitting on her left she grabbed his right hand. She put her other hand in Jeremy's left one. They all took deep breaths.

And then Bonnie started to concentrate. She closed her eyes searched inwardly for the entity within her and held onto it. She started to ply it, manipulate it.

Most of what she was doing was based on intuition, a recalling of her former gifts as a witch. When she finally felt that she had enough control over it, she began to fuse it with Jeremy's energy that was activated by holding the crystal. It seemed the crystal had the ability to invigorate its holder's energy- which in this case was Jeremy's.

When she finally felt that she had a hold of it, she waited for it to happen. And then it did. Her own magic took on a life of its own, and mingled completely with Jeremy's. It was then that she felt Kol's as well. His was being transferred through her as a vessel.

Although Bonnie wasn't aware of it, the lights in the kitchen started flickering.

She could feel the bond strengthening, inadvertently causing a tingling throughout her whole body.

"Bonnie."

"Just wait Jer." _It wouldn't be much longer now_.

"Bonnie look!" Bonnie opened her eyes. Jeremy's eyes had widened and shifted back and forth from her to Kol.

When she turned to glance at Kol, she saw what had caught his attention. Bonnie and Kol both had a blue tinge to their skin, it was a similar blue to the colour the crystal was emitting.

Although Bonnie's concentration had broken, it didn't matter. Her energy was doing all of the work now. They only had to wait.

It was then that Bonnie noticed that the cabinets in the kitchen were shuddering. The lights were still flickering madly.

"What's going on?" Kol whispered

"I don't know. It must be some after effect."

The prickling feeling was now pulsing through her entire being. Ten minutes must have passed.

_We're almost there_.

And then the shit storm happened.

It was Kol's comment that started it all.

"What the hell is _she_ doing here?" His eyes were shocked.

Bonnie turned to look behind her.

Kazima was standing right behind her chair.

"Kazima? What are you doing here? I thought you never left the third plane-"

Kazima's voice interrupted, "I lied my dear. After thousands of years, I finally have my chance, and you led me right to it."

Kazima placed her hands on Bonnie's shoulders.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Bonnie's voice was alarmed.

"What do you think? I'm going back of course. To finish what I started." Kazima's voice had a menacing tone that Bonnie didn't recognize. Was this really Kazima? Had she played them all?

Bonnie was now staring at the hands clasped on her shoulders. They were gradually attaining the same tinge of blue that Bonnie and Kol had.

Bonnie was desperate to push Kazima's hands off but that would mean that she would sever the connection. _And then they would never go back._ She could tell that they were only moments away. The crystal started discharging electrical waves.

"Why would you want to go back?" It was Kol asking it this time.

The crystal was crackling from the shockwaves.

"I'd explain it my dear, but we've run out of time."

And then the room was engulfed in white light.

* * *

The first thing that Bonnie registered was pain.

Real pain. Like the kind that one felt as a _living_ being.

She groaned loudly. There was a loud ringing in her ears, as if she had just been adjacent to an explosion. She was practically deaf.

And then she heard it.

_Bonnie_.

"Bonnie can you hear me?" It was a lot clearer now.

She couldn't even open her eyes.

Could she even talk?

She tried saying _what happened_ but the only thing that came out of her mouth was some incoherent mumble.

Jeremy's voice spoke again.

"Don't worry. You're gonna be fine. Kol was the same way."

What- _spouting gibberish?_

Jeremy continued. "I think it has to do with getting back your motor control. And adjusting to your senses and whatnot."

"Try opening your eyes," he prodded softly.

Bonnie slowly opened her eyes. And instantly shut them again. There was _way_ too much light in here.

Bonnie managed to whisper, "Too bright." _Well at least I can say that_.

She heard Jeremy pause. "Uh really?" He sounded confused. "It seems pretty fine to me. I guess you need to adjust to that too."

She tried to lift her head up. "Hold on, don't try and overexert yourself. Just lay there." He added reluctantly, "I'll check on Kol for just a sec."

She could hear Kol's voice in the background. "Don't bother. I'm fine now. It's her that doesn't look so great."

Jeremy said, "I don't know why it affected her so much more."

Kol snorted. "It's because she's a weak human."

_Hey! _She wanted to yell at him but couldn't seem to muster the energy.

She could tell that Kol was much closer when he spoke again. "Oi! Witch! Can you hear me?"

Bonnie managed to mutter "Jerk" before taking a deep breath.

Kol let out a laugh. "I guess you can."

She then felt a set of arms place themselves under her knees and middle back. The physical contact startled her.

"Hey! Be careful!" Jeremy said to Kol.

Kol's voice retorted. "I'm not going to drop her. Am I wrong in thinking she should probably be somewhere other than the kitchen floor?"

Jeremy's voice lowered and he mumbled, "Put her on the couch then."

With that, Kol brought her up from the floor and adjusted her in his arms. She could feel Kol's muscles stretching and contracting beneath her. _Huh. This was new. _She vaguely noticed that she was moving. A few seconds later, Kol gently lowered her to the couch.

Kol said to Jeremy. "Dim the lights."

After a few seconds, Kol said softly, "Bonnie I want you to try and open your eyes."

Hesitantly at first, Bonnie slowly opened them. She squinted at first to adjust, but after about thirty seconds, she tentatively opened them completely.

Kol had kneeled down next to the couch, and his face was only inches from hers.

He smiled. "There she is."

Jeremy then kneeled next to Kol. His eyes were concerned.

"How you feeling?" he asked.

Bonnie could feel her throat closing up. She muttered, "Thirsty."

Jeremy quickly got up. "I'll go get you some water."

Kol smirked. "I'm thirsty too." Bonnie smiled slowly. She knew he wasn't talking about water.

Kol stood up and Jeremy returned with a glass of water.

"Bonnie you have to sit up." Jeremy carefully pushed Bonnie's torso so that she sat upwards. He adjusted the pillows to keep her supported.

"Do you think you can hold the glass?"

Bonnie nodded and reached out her hand. Jeremy handed the glass over carefully. She took a slow sip and deposited the glass on the table next to the couch.

"Can you talk now?"

"Yeah," she croaked. After clearing her throat she repeated it. "Yeah."

"Are you okay now?" Jeremy still looked troubled.

She replied quietly. "Yeah, just weak. Why am I so weak?"

It was Kol who spoke this time. "It's not just your body. I suspect part of it is because of that _witch,_" he said the last word with disgust.

Bonnie had forgotten. _Where was Kazima? _

"I can't believe I forgot. Where did she go?"

"To be honest Bonnie, I don't think she came back. I mean, she was just gone after. You guys were on the ground and she wasn't." Jeremy stopped for a moment in thought. "I honestly think it just didn't work for her, she wasn't as connected as the rest of us."

Bonnie met Kol's eyes. He didn't look nearly as convinced.

_Was Kazima here on earth?_

Kazima's last cryptic words were bothering her. _Finish what? _Was she hoping to kill Silas herself? Or was it something completely different?

"Let's hope so. We have enough to deal with on Silas' end, let alone some maniacal witch with unfinished business."

Bonnie and Jeremy both looked at Kol.

Jeremy asked, "What do you mean? I thought Bonnie put him down. And Stefan hid him where no one could find him before he left town."

"Jer," she said solemnly. "He was free from that spell when I died, the night you came back."

Shock registered in Jeremy's eyes."You mean he's been around this whole time?"

"How long has it been? Since I died?" Bonnie was afraid to hear the answer.

"Fifty-three days," he answered quietly.

_Almost two months._ That made it almost the end of July.

"Does anyone know I'm dead?"

Jeremy looked away guiltily. He scratched the back of his head.

"I didn't tell them right away Bonnie. I swear. Elena only found out about two weeks ago." He raised his hands sheepishly. "I couldn't help it okay? She could tell something was up. At first I could blame my moods on adjusting to life again, but then she started bugging me about it."

He continued quietly, "I think that's why she and Damon left. She needed to get out of here. You know her, she was completely torn up about it."

"What about Caroline?"

"Uhhh well Caroline is being well, _Caroline_. She's gone a bit overboard."

"What do you mean?" Bonnie prompted softly.

"Well," he paused for a second, "she's been cooking for one thing. Like _a lot_. And she keeps-" he stopped when the doorbell rang, "-bringing it all over here." He groaned loudly.

"That's definitely her. She's always here around six. It's been over a week of this."

He stood up and looked back at Bonnie. "Do you want to see her?"

Bonnie felt conflicted. On one hand, she was weakened physically and her mind was still adjusting to reality. But on the other, she wanted to see her friend more than anything.

"Yeah." Bonnie smiled.

* * *

When Jeremy went to answer the door, it was to see Caroline's beaming face. It was all a facade though.

Caroline's eye bags were darker and her skin was more dull than usual. Her eyes were no longer bright and reflected the tang of grief. In her hands, she carried what looked to be two casseroles and a pecan pie.

Why Caroline brought him all this food was a mystery. He knew _why_ she was making it- to distract herself. Perhaps in some weird way she thought he was the only one who understood her grief, and she thought he wanted the food as much as she wanted to make it.

As a routine, he had taken up on inviting her in; they would then each have a sample of whatever concoction she had made that day. They might be silent one day. Other days they had talked. It had been some weird level of coping. Until now.

Jeremy couldn't wait to tell her. This was not a Caroline he ever wanted to see again. And he hated having to waste all that food she made.

But first things first.

Jeremy stepped on the front porch and shut the door before Caroline could step in.

Caroline looked surprised.

"What's wrong? Don't you want pecan pie?" She huffed, "I know I'm a vampire and my taste buds are pretty much gonzo but before you throw it out, at least try it-" she sounded exasperated.

"Caroline."

"What?" she tried to make light of his serious tone.

"There's something I have to tell you. But-" He raised his hands to get his point across. "-you have to promise you won't freak out."

Caroline was all ears this time.

* * *

It was the sound of china breaking that caught Bonnie's attention.

In about two seconds she knew why.

Bonnie suddenly found herself smothered in blonde curls and what felt like a waterfall of tears.

Bonnie could barely breathe but didn't loosen her hold. They stayed that way for a couple minutes before Caroline finally loosened her hold.

"I can't believe this." She was saying each word between hiccups and wiping tears off her face. "One minute you're gone and the next" she laughed hysterically, "-you're back again. You sure know how to throw us for a loop."

Bonnie also had tears running down her face. She was smiling wildly amongst wiping her face.

"Oh my God! And this means you can go to college with us! Elena and I can switch rooms and we can get a three-bedroom dorm room and..."

Bonnie laughed softly. _That would be the first thing Caroline thinks of. _

It was Kol's voice that interrupted Caroline's tirade.

"I hate to interrupt, but I'm going to have to leave this wonderful reunion. I am a trifle thirsty for some AB positive, so if you don't mind-"

It was the first time Caroline noticed Kol's presence.

"And what is _he_ doing here? Bonnie?!"

Bonnie stared at Caroline purposefully. "He's the reason I'm back at all Caroline."

Jeremy looked at Bonnie closely. He was surprised at her defense of Kol- he didn't necessarily agree but chose to stay silent anyways.

Caroline opened her mouth to say something but couldn't seem to find any words.

The second time however, she uttered loudly, "Wait! You-?! And him?!"

This time Kol answered, "That's right darling. Bonnie and I make a great team. We've grown very _fond _of each other haven't we?"

He was deliberately trying to bait Caroline.

Caroline's eyes narrowed into slits. "Listen to me, you little-"

"Caroline please! And you too Kol. All this fighting is giving me a headache."

Everyone looked away guiltily.

Kol sighed loudly. "As I said before, I fancy having a nice pint or two so I'll just be leaving. So see you all-"

"Wait." Bonnie stood up slowly and took a few steps towards him. She could feel the perspiration on her forehead and back. Her legs started shaking from standing.

Kol was there in an instant. He put his hand around her waist to steady her.

"You shouldn't be straining yourself weakling," he murmured softly.

She leaned slightly into him for balance and gazed into his eyes searchingly.

He seemed to know exactly what she was looking for.

"I'll be back soon," he promised.

He lowered her back down onto the couch and left.

* * *

Bonnie didn't try and analyze the comfort she felt from Kol's presence. She only realized it the instant he was actually gone. She didn't know when or_ how_ it had happened but somehow she and Kol had bonded in their mutual drive to return to the living. It wasn't as if she adored him or anything. He could be a downright asshole sometimes. But lately, he had shown moments of decency- where he didn't automatically retort with some smart ass comment. _Were they friends? _They may not have been bffs but they were definitely not acquaintances- too much had happened between them. They had _trusted_ each other though, and that meant something. She knew it did. She could feel it in her shaky, unreliable bones.

Ignoring the scrutiny of her relationship with Kol, she still had to deal with everything else. At the moment, she was bewildered by her visual surroundings. Seeing everything so _clear_; it was as if she had been living in black and white before. All of her senses were on overload, every sound seemed magnified somehow, every drop in the sink, every time someone took a breath of air. She could hear it all so _acutely._ Even physical touch was heightened; when Caroline had hugged her it had been a shock, both emotionally and physically. It was going to take her a little bit to adjust to all of this.

After Kol left, Caroline had promptly force-fed Bonnie some of her pecan pie.

"The casseroles didn't survive," Caroline explained.

They were still in tatters on the porch.

After Caroline was sure Bonnie could eat no more she said, "Now, are you going to finally tell me what happened? Come on Bonnie I'm dying here!"

Jeremy stood next to Bonnie's chair.

"Leave her alone Caroline. She's practically dead on her feet." Jeremy must have timed that because he couldn't help grinning.

_Haha_.

Caroline conceded though. "Fine! Fine!" She pointed at Bonnie. "But you missy, owe me an explanation! Don't think I forgot about graduation. I can't believe you didn't tell us-"

"Caroline you know I couldn't-"

"Yeah 'cus you're too selfless for your own good. I'm not going to let you be a martyr anymore Bonnie Bennett."

_Martyr_.

That's what Kol had called her. _Was he right?_ If Caroline felt that way, who else did?

"Anyways, I'm putting you to bed. You look like you're gonna collapse any second." She turned to Jeremy. "Is it okay if I put her in Elena's room?"

Jeremy nodded. "Go ahead. You can stay too if you want."

Caroline smiled broadly. "Thanks. I think I will."

With that, Caroline dragged her upstairs.

Although Bonnie was tired, she wasn't tired enough to notice the sparseness of Elena's room. Of course, everything had gone with the fire, but it was still such a change from her old room. It didn't even look lived in.

Caroline seemed to realize the direction of her thoughts, since she said, "They just moved in a couple weeks ago. Plus, she spends a lot of time at the boarding house."

Bonnie only nodded.

Bonnie sat down on the large bed while Caroline rifled through Elena's drawers.

She pulled out a set of pajamas- a button-up top and matching shorts- and handed them to Bonnie.

"These should fit you." She looked at Bonnie closely. "I'm not letting you out of my sight though."

Caroline then pulled out another set of pajamas and started changing.

She encouraged Bonnie to do the same. "Go on."

Bonnie pulled off her blouse and was about to put on the new top when she heard Caroline's exclamation.

"When did you get a tattoo? I mean, I guess it's okay you never told me but I'm your friend-"

"Wait what?! What are you talking about? I don't have a tattoo Caroline."

Caroline stared at her. "Uh, yeah you do." She pointed her finger. "It's on your right shoulder blade. It's kinda weird looking too. Like, I don't know, ancient-looking or something."

Bonnie ran over to the adjacent bathroom and placed her back to the mirror.

_Holy Shit_.

It was in the form of an eye. Not very big, only a couple inches wide, but it was astonishing all the same. There were two lines running from the bottom of the eye; one of them was long and ended in a circular squiggle while the one to the right of it was short and pointy.

Caroline was standing in the doorway.

"I'm guessing you didn't know about it?"

"Definitely not."

Caroline shrugged. "It's not that big a deal I guess. It's a bit high for a wedding dress, but we'll figure it out."

"Caroline!"

She laughed. "Don't worry. It's fine. Just a tattoo right?"

Bonnie looked at Caroline seriously. "That's the problem. I don't think it is."


	9. Shock To My System

**A/N: Wow this took forever. I even started thinking I was spelling 'much' wrong. **

**Thanks to everyone for reviewing! It's an absolute joy reading them. To Gauri92, you're definitely on the right track. I love how you noticed these details, because they will come later, trust me.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. Again, if you notice something wrong (even a spelling error- I'm pretty crazy about that) please let me know. I may even republish this chapter because I'm so unsure about it. I feel like I crammed too much.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD.**

Shock to my system

When Bonnie woke the next morning, it was to find herself almost falling off the right side of the bed. Caroline had taken upon dominating the entire bed with all of her limbs spread out in disarray. This left Bonnie with only a tiny section of the bed left for herself. She lightly pushed her friend but then stopped. What was she thinking? _I have magic again_, she thought mirthfully. Now that Bonnie didn't feel like a feeble invalid, she could feel how concentrated her magic was. It was _incredible. _She didn't know how it was possible, but she felt more energetic than ever.

_Here goes nothing._

The familiar hum of magic pulsating through her was invigorating. Bonnie concentrated on drawing out her powers. She only had to put a slight bit of effort into nudging Caroline on the other side of the bed. She didn't bat an eyelash.

Once Bonnie had an adequate amount of room, she looked up at the ceiling in thought. She sometimes thought that she should pinch herself, just to be sure that this was real. With the exception of the sudden appearance of Kazima, everything had gone relatively smooth. _She was back._ Seeing Jeremy and Caroline again had brought back so many fond memories. The first dance she planned with Caroline. Her first movie night with her best friends. Her first kiss with Jeremy. _Jeremy. _Thinking about Jeremy brought an array of conflicting emotions. They had gotten so close the last few months before she died, and now that she was back, she had no idea where they stood with each other. At one point, she had thought she would never forgive him when he had betrayed her, but then she had moved on and then somehow, they had started _something else_. It hadn't really been defined because they had spent so much time on other things- him training, finishing the hunter's mark, her working on expression with Shane. And then Nova Scotia happened- and he was gone. And then her memory was erased. It was pretty messed up, when she thought back on it. When she finally learned of his death and tried to deal with it, Silas had started popping back up in Jeremy's form and all those old emotions had resurfaced. And then _she _herself had died not long after. Everything had ended with that emotional goodbye when the veil had gone back up. Bonnie wondered how Jeremy felt. She didn't know what she felt about him. So much had happened since then; she had a lot more to worry about than her complicated relationship with Jeremy.

Pushing aside thoughts of Jeremy, Bonnie started to think of that tattoo. _What did it mean? _It was so random- maybe it was just a side effect of returning to earth. Maybe Kol had one as well. If that was the case, then it probably wasn't that big of a deal. Maybe it was a result of Kazima's magic inside her. If so, then she could live with it, she supposed.

"You look deep in thought."

So lost in her thoughts, Bonnie hadn't noticed Caroline awaken.

Bonnie stretched her arms and yawned."Yeah. I guess I had a lot on my mind."

Caroline laughed lightly. "I don't doubt it."

"Dying does that to you, huh?"

"Well, I wouldn't know since I'm _un_dead."

They smirked at each other.

Caroline's eyes turned concerned. "How are you feeling now? Better?"

Bonnie nodded. "Yeah." She was slightly startled at the change. "_A lot_ better actually. I was so exhausted yesterday. Now I feel fine." She looked around the room in wonder. "I can see _so_ clearly too."

Caroline cocked her head. "What's so great about that?"

Bonnie's eyes met her. "I wore contacts before Caroline."

Caroline grinned. "Well don't complain missy! That's not a bad thing. Just a perk of resurrection!"

She sat up and continued, "Now, how about pancakes? You need sustenance woman! You've gotten too scrawny in the afterlife."

Bonnie laughed.

It felt good to be back.

* * *

Caroline ultimately decided on waffles instead when she found a waffle maker while rifling through the kitchen.

Caroline was humming and making the waffle mix while Bonnie took it upon herself to read the local paper.

The date read July 23.

Seeing the date right there was a harsh reminder of the time she had missed out on. She had even missed her birthday. It was on June 21, which meant she was now eighteen. _Or was she? _Since she had been dead for that time, did that make her body almost two months younger? Bonnie shook her head. _Too much thinking, _Bonnie wasn't about to switch her birthday. That was just absurd.

Jeremy strolled in wearing pajamas and raised his eyebrows at Caroline's back. She had moved on from humming into fully-formed words. She kept repeating '_Is it reeeaal now, when two people become one, I can feeeel it, when two people become one.'_

Bonnie shrugged helplessly at him. She looked back down at the paper.

"Hey, um, does the whole town know I died? Did I have a funeral?"

Jeremy shook his head. "We were still trying to figure out how to explain that, so everyone just thought you went away with your mom."

"Oh good." She sighed. "I would hate having to explain _that_. What about my parents?"

Jeremy nodded. "They know. Your dad's still here if you wanna go see him."

"Yeah. That's a good idea." She could just imagine his reaction at seeing his newly alive daughter.

Caroline was now scooping the batter into the waffle maker. When she was done, she turned around.

"Hey, do you mind if I invite Tyler over? He'll be stoked to see a friendly face."

Bonnie grinned in surprise. "Tyler's back?!"

Caroline nodded excitedly. "He came back about a month ago."

"But I thought Klaus was hunting him to the 'ends of the earth' as he put it. "

At the mention of Klaus' name, Caroline's eyes flickered. It was only an instant but Bonnie caught it. Caroline lifted her shoulders. "He changed his mind I guess. He hasn't been in Mystic Falls since graduation."

"That's great Caroline. I can't believe it."

"I know right?! I never thought I'd see him again."

_Imagine that_. Klaus was a big old softy at heart. _I wouldn't go that far_. He's just not a vengeful bastard as much as he would have people believe. She suspected his decision was 99 percent related to the high-spirited blonde standing a few feet away.

"So what else has gone on?"

Caroline thought about it. "Well, you're not gonna believe _this_! Matt left to travel Europe and guess who he went with?" Caroline didn't wait for Bonnie's response before she cried "Rebekah! That's who. Why he would want to go with that psycho is beyond me. I swear I'll never understand what goes through that guy's mind."

Bonnie had to wonder. She hadn't really known what was going on in Matt's life before she died, being all expression-zonked at the time. She had vaguely remembered hearing them talk about it in that final goodbye at the Mystic Grill although Bonnie had been so distressed she hadn't paid much attention. It was kind of shocking hearing they were friends. But then again, if Rebekah was friends with anyone it made sense that it was Matt. He was the most warm-hearted guy she knew and would accept her friendship, even with all her flaws. Bonnie could only speculate if it was more than friendship. Because _that_ would be a real shocker.

"So when is he coming back?"

Caroline said over her shoulder, "I think at the end of August. Just in time for school."

"Matt's going to college?"

"Yeah, all that studying paid off I guess. In part thanks to _moi_."

Bonnie had completely forgot. _That's right, I can go to college now_. She'd probably have to wait a year though, since she hadn't gone through the acceptance and registration process.

Caroline had turned around and was gazing at her intently. "Don't you dare get all mopey on me Bonnie Bennett! You're going to Whitmore with us. Even if I have to compel every dean of admissions or whatever to let you get in."

"I'd rather you didn't." Bonnie frowned.

Caroline sighed. "Well, we'll see. Only if there are no other options. Although you're probably gonna get the last pick of the draw when it comes to classes."

Bonnie could live with that. School was the last thing on her mind right now.

"So, what else have I missed out on?"

"Oh it I forgot! Stefan's gone. I guess he was pretty heartbroken that Elena chose Damon."

Bonnie was surprised. _He let his own brother drive him out of town? _"You mean he moved? Where did he go?"

Caroline had a perturbed expression. "That's the thing. No one knows. He didn't even say good bye,_ the_ _jerk_." She huffed. "He just dropped Silas' body somewhere and left. I really thought we were better friends than that-"

"Are you serious? You haven't heard from him at all?"

Caroline shook her head. "I didn't think he would take it _this _hard."

Bonnie furrowed her brows in thought.

"Something weird is going on. I really don't think Stefan would have left without at least saying goodbye to everyone. Especially the night that Silas was unbound-"

"Uhhh, what? Can you repeat that please?" Caroline did not look impressed.

"The night I died-," Bonnie said gravely, "-Silas was no longer bound by my spell."

"So you're saying he could be stalking us right now?!" Caroline's tone grew hysterical. "Oh great, wonderful!"

"Listen I don't think it's that bad. Kol and I are pretty sure we saw him when we were in Greece. He was after the crystal-"

"What crystal?" Caroline asked curiously.

"The one that brought us back, which reminds me-" she turned to Jeremy. "Where is it anyway?"

"I put it in my room. It's in that box you found it in."

"Good. There's no telling who else might be after it, considering its abilities."

"Do you think he can trace it back here?" Jeremy asked.

Bonnie frowned in thought. "It's possible. I wouldn't put anything past Silas."

"Bonnie you better get explaining what's going on! I am totally lost."

* * *

The first bite of the waffle was heaven. Bonnie sighed loudly. It was so _rich_, with so much _flavour._ It was practically melting in her mouth. So immersed in her waffle, Bonnie didn't notice Caroline and Jeremy sharing weird looks.

"Uh, Bonnie?"

Bonnie's eyes were closed. "Hm?" she said amongst her chewing.

"Are you okay?" Jeremy asked lightly.

Bonnie finally decided to swallow the morsel. She immediately opened her eyes and directed her attention to him.

"Of course Jer, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well," he started awkwardly but Caroline cut him off.

"You were like, moaning from a waffle Bonnie."

"Really?!" her cheeks reddened. "I guess I just miss waffles. You must have outdone yourself Care." She said, a little flustered.

And Bonnie proceeded to eat more bites. Jeremy shrugged at Caroline. He admitted that they were good, but _that good? _Maybe it was just because Bonnie had been dead, and everything suddenly tasted amazing after so long.

While Bonnie and Jeremy stuffed themselves with waffles, Caroline sipped on a mug full of warm blood. Bonnie tried to hide her reaction from the food but it was really difficult. She could _practically_ taste every ingredient in the waffle; discern every flavour in her juice. She tried not to dwell on the weirdness of it all and focused on something else through conversation.

Bonnie finally recanted everything that had happened since she had bit the big one, with a few omissions of course. She didn't really go into much detail about Kol, only that they ended up working together for a mutual goal. She also didn't want to rehash any of the emotions that she had felt, including the worry that no one would care if she was dead. She realized now that was definitely not the case. Caroline would have given her hell for it if she admitted even thinking any feelings like that.

Caroline grimaced in distaste whenever she mentioned Kol. "I can't believe you could actually tolerate his presence, Bonnie. And to think he's staying _here_." She shuddered

"He's not all bad," Bonnie said hastily. "_Wait, _he's here?! When did he come back?"

"You seem surprised." Caroline's face was unreadable.

"Yeah, I thought he'd be back in like a week or something. Not a few _hours_. Vampires seem to have a different gage of time, being immortal and all."

"Hey! I'm a vampire and I don't think I've changed _that_ much."

"Yeah but you're still a baby vamp Caroline."

"Oh." She seemed to accept that. "Point taken."

"So when he did get back?"

It was Jeremy who answered. "Around dawn. He's staying in the guest room." And he did _not _look happy about it. Bonnie knew the only reason he was agreeing to this was because of her.

She smiled at him in appreciation. He was still sulking.

She said quickly, "Look, sometimes he can be a jerk but most of the time he's okay-"

"Really?" Caroline stared at Bonnie, puzzled. "You've changed you know."

Bonnie tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Well," she said slowly, "You're more open minded. More _soft-_." She grinned. "-If that makes any sense at all."

"You mean I'm not a bitch basically."

Caroline gave a short laugh. "No! I guess the word is fair-minded. You don't judge as harshly."

"That's good I'm guessing?" She smiled, uncertain.

Caroline said dryly, "Yeah, it's good."

There was an awkward silence before Bonnie changed the subject.

She cleared her throat. "Anyways, that's why I thought something might be wrong. Because Silas was Stefan, and since you guys haven't actually seen or heard from him since that night..." she trailed off, letting the answer speak for itself.

"What? Do you think Silas hurt Stefan?"Caroline was a bit dubious.

"Well, why else hasn't he contacted anyone? You're right, I seriously doubt he's _that _depressed. It just doesn't seem like him."

Caroline nodded slowly in agreement. "It's been almost two months; he wouldn't isolate himself like this, at least not without telling anyone."

She added, "He may have said goodbye to Elena and Damon, but I know he wouldn't have left without at least checking up on me. It's just his way."

Jeremy asked, "So what do we do now then?"

Caroline said, "We-" She stopped when the doorbell rang.

Caroline smiled widely. "Guess who that is," she was singing that comment as she stood up to answer it.

When Caroline brought Tyler in, he swooped Bonnie up in a large bear hug.

When he let her go, he murmured, "I don't know how we got on without you."

Bonnie cracked a smile. She could feel her eyes start to water. _Not again_. She was going to need a year's supply of Kleenex at this rate.

"I missed you too Lockwood."

He flashed a wide grin at that.

"So what have I missed?"

* * *

After Tyler was updated on the situation, they all moved to the living room.

Bonnie couldn't help but notice the high quality furniture and the lavish ornaments that adorned the walls and tables. The place wasn't that big, but it was still inviting.

Jeremy was watching her closely. As if he could read her thoughts, he murmured, "It's a bit much isn't it? We got some money from the insurance company, but personally I think Damon compelled someone to give us all this. Elena wouldn't tell me anything though."

Bonnie rolled her eyes at that. _Of course Damon would do that._ He didn't exactly have the best set of morals.

Tyler asked, "So what are we gonna do now?"

Bonnie was the first one to answer.

"I think we should find Stefan and go from there."

"What, with a locator spell?" Jeremy asked.

Bonnie nodded.

It was at this moment that whistling could be heard in the direction of the stairs. Not long after, Kol's tall lean form strolled in the doorway. He smirked at them. "Oh well, isn't this just _lovely? _The whole gang is back together again." He clucked his chin. "Oh wait! We're missing a few, aren't we?" He feigned deep contemplation. "Let's see, there's the doppelganger, those miserable Salvatores and the blonde boy, the one Rebekah fancies."

Caroline grit her teeth. "His _name _is Matt."

"Ah, yes. Dear old Matt."

Tyler had stood up at this point. "Isn't this Klaus' brother? Why the hell is this guy here?! Didn't he try to kill a bunch of you?" He asked incredulously.

Kol rolled his eyes and leaned against the doorjamb. "This is really getting old. Bonnie would you please explain for the millionth time? How I'm practically a saint now?"

Bonnie glared at him. Her look basically said _shut up._

Her expression softened when she looked at the others. "You guys can trust him. And if you guys can't do that, at least trust _me_, and my _judgment_. He is on our side." Her look was pleading. She really didn't want some stupid fight to break out. It would just be a waste of everyone's time and energy when they could be using it to defeat the real enemy, who had the potential to do _a lot_ more damage.

Slowly, Tyler's stance lessened its tension and he sat back down, although it was very grudgingly. Once he did, Kol strode further into the room and took a seat next to Bonnie on one of the sofas. Jeremy glared at him as he did this.

When Bonnie snuck a glance at Kol, she noticed that he had new clothes on. She reprimanded herself for even noticing such a trivial detail. Even so, she couldn't help wondering where he got them. Had he gone to his house last night? She knew Klaus wasn't there, but what about Elijah? Or Rebekah?

She looked him over slowly. The black t-shirt hugged his wiry form, she couldn't help observing. Bonnie instantly pushed aside these thoughts. _What was wrong with her?_

"So what's the topic for today?" he asked jovially.

"We're going to find Stefan," Bonnie answered quickly. "I think a locator spell is best."

"Why don't you just use the magic Kazima gave you?" Kol asked easily.

Bonnie was taken aback. She hadn't thought of that. Although she had been trying to ignore it, she was still uncomfortably aware of the pervasive magic residing within her. Part of her thought it would be gone when she was brought back to life, but that was definitely not the case. It was here to stay.

"I don't even know if I can use it for that purpose," she said with a twinge of unease.

"Well you may as well try, that _bitch_ tried using us in the end. We may as well reap the benefits."

Bonnie considered that. "I guess." She said hesitantly.

Everyone was staring at her in question.

"You didn't mention that the witch transferred magic in you," Caroline murmured.

Bonnie nodded. "Well I didn't want to make a big deal out of it or anything. Plus, I thought its only use was to harvest energy to the crystal."

Caroline jumped in excitement and pointed at Bonnie. "Ooh! Maybe that's why you have that tattoo! Because of that witch."

Bonnie groaned inwardly. Four sets of eyes were now trained on her.

"What tattoo, Bonnie?" Jeremy asked.

Bonnie tried to play it off nonchalantly. "Oh, just this tattoo on my back. It looks like an eye or something." She waved her hand. "No big deal."

"No big deal?" Caroline asked disbelievingly. "You were sure freaking out about it last night."

Bonnie ground her teeth. She did not want to draw attention to the stupid thing. "That's because it was a surprise. It's not as if it's hurting me."

"Right _now_." Caroline said in annoyance. "You have no idea whether it's harmless-"

"And you have no idea if it's harm_ful_," Bonnie shouted.

"Oh _great_, let's just-"

"Oi!" Kol interrupted. "Instead of continuing this very _productive_ conversation, Bonnie-" he looked meaningfully at her, "-why don't you let us all have a look? See what all the fuss is about."

Although he was grinning, the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. A serious glint revealed that he wasn't taking the issue lightly.

Bonnie looked at the others. They all seemed to be in agreement.

Luckily, Bonnie was wearing a strappy shirt underneath her cardigan. She took off the cardigan and turned her back to the group. With the exception of Kol-who was still sitting next to her- everyone stood up to have a look.

There was a long silence before anyone spoke.

"Uhh, what-" Tyler mumbled.

"Yeah, that's weird-" Jeremy said.

"See? I told you guys-" Caroline was uttering loudly.

"It's the eye of Horus," Kol said clearly. "No doubt about it."

Everyone said, "What?" immediately after his statement.

Kol looked at them derisively. "You don't know? Pathetic."

Caroline snorted. "Oh sorry mister _thousand-year_ old vampire! We haven't had as much _time_ to learn all of your infinite wisdom."

Kol glared at her. "This is a very common tattoo darling. And if you knew anything at all about Ancient Egypt you'd know-"

Bonnie cut him off and held up her hand."Wait a second you're telling me this is Egyptian?!"

Kol rolled his eyes. "Of course, it's _obvious_. The style is very distinct."

"So what does it mean then?" Jeremy asked.

Kol sighed and muttered something like _bloody amateurs _under his breath. Bonnie was the only one that caught it. "The eye of Horus refers to a battle between Horus, the sky god, and Set, the god of desert. Set gouged out one of Horus' eyes but it was restored magically by Thoth, a healer."

"Why would Bonnie have a tattoo like that?" Caroline asked, confused.

Kol looked deep in thought. "Well, the story follows that Horus offered his eye to his father, Osiris, in the hopes of resurrecting him. The eye over time became a symbol of resurrection and life in general. So, perhaps, as a result of being resurrected, Bonnie was branded with this tattoo."

"Well, wouldn't that mean that Kol has one as well?" Tyler asked quickly.

Everyone stared at Kol.

"Have you looked at your back lately Kol?" Bonnie asked.

"I think I would know if I had a tattoo," he muttered.

"Well let's see then." Caroline was beaming. Tyler was frowning at Caroline's enthusiasm.

"If you wanted to see me naked darling all you need is ask." Kol's white teeth flashed in a grin as he stood up and took off his shirt.

Caroline scowled and crossed her arms. "Hardly, only your shirt will be necessary." Bonnie would have scolded Kol but her mouth had gone dry. _Whoa_. His torso was the same ivory hue as his face and possessed the kind of lean, wiry build seen on athletes. His wide, muscled shoulders tapered off to a narrow waist before his jeans covered the rest. Bonnie stared in mild fascination.

When he turned his back to her she almost gasped. His entire left back was covered in black ink. She hadn't expected_ this._ Amongst the dark swirls, she made out an exotic-looking bird flying over an ocean backdrop. There were some words written as well, but the language was foreign and unfamiliar. She looked closely. It was stunning. She couldn't take her eyes off it.

"What does that mean?" she murmured. Kol turned to look at her face. Realization dawned on his face.

He asked bluntly, "Do you see the eye anywhere?"

"No but-"

"Good." He said harshly. "Then we're done?" His expression was stony, but a vulnerable glimmer remained in his eyes.

Bonnie started, "What-" then she hesitated. She mumbled slowly, "Yeah. We're done." Kol hadn't waited for her response before he put his shirt back on. What did that tattoo mean? And why had he forgotten about it? Not to mention his instant change in mood when he realized she had seen it.

Caroline stared intently at them. "So he didn't have it?"

Bonnie shook her head. "No, I guess it's just on me."

Caroline exhaled in frustration. "Well, we're gonna have to find out more about this Horus thing. Not right now, because it's clearly not harming you. But we should figure out why you even have it in the first place."

"Caroline's right." Jeremy said. "Tattoos can have a lot of significance. Just because it's not hurting you doesn't mean it's harmless."

Bonnie thought they were taking this way too seriously. She knew they were being cautious, probably because firstly, she had just come back to life and were being reasonably protective and secondly, because of their experience with the hunter's mark- but it's not as if that caused him harm, it just made him have the urge to kill vampires. On that note, however, Bonnie had an awful thought. _What if this mark changes me as well? _It could make her go crazy for all she knew. It was clearly of magical origin so its effects could be infinite. Bonnie quickly realized she was only worrying herself with her theories. She pushed aside any more dark thoughts.

Bonnie said, "You're right. But we have a lot more to worry about. Including Stefan."

Tyler exclaimed loudly, "He's probably just gone off to some big city you guys. The guy was _heartbroken_. We should give him some space. We can't automatically assume something's wrong just because he hasn't talked to us since."

Caroline whined, "He wouldn't need this _much _space. He's our friend." She blew a piece of hair out of her eyes. "Besides, he knows how worried we'd be."

Kol jumped up from the couch. "Well this has been _fun_, but I'm getting tired of all this melodrama. Talking about Stefan has brought a tinge of nausea, I'm afraid." He headed towards the hallway. "As always, lovely to see you Caroline. I'm sure my brother sends his regards." Tyler shot daggers at Kol when he said this. He nodded at Bonnie and completely ignored the two males. There was a strained silence at his departure.

Bonnie stood up and followed him out the front door. The sun was _bright. _It was high in the sky and she could feel its radiant heat touch her skin in little prickles. The feeling was so acute, it was startling. It was just the sun for crying out loud. Bonnie strode forward and grabbed his right arm when they were on the pathway. His skin was cool to the touch.

"Wait."

"What, little witch?" he asked impatiently. She let go of his arm. His whole body was tense, which was a shock considering his derisive and mocking demeanor towards her friends.

"Could you at least try to be tolerable?"

"Hmm, define tolerable."

"Someone who isn't an ass every five minutes." She was scowling.

Kol put on a thinking posture. "I don't know darling, they make it _awfully_ difficult. My digestion is up in sorts just being around them."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "This is what I mean. You don't even _try_ to understand them. Just because they're different from you-"

Kol snorted. "Different is an understatement. They're a _nuisance_-"

"They're my _friends_-"

"Yes and that's the only reason_ I_ tolerate them."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well I'm not about to break my word, am I?"

For just a second, she had thought he was referring to her own feelings. Then he had clarified. _I'm not disappointed. _Forcing that thought to the side, part of Bonnie was still surprised that he would still honor that promise. Mostly because he was no longer a ghost and could do what he wanted and also because Kazima had almost screwed everything up by appearing out of the blue. She would have thought he felt he owed them nothing now. Bonnie ignored the very _slight_ trace of pleasure she felt at knowing that he was sticking around. _For now anyways._

A part of her realized though, that he didn't actually have to stick around. He could go off and try to kill Silas on his own if he really wanted. It's not as if he had promised to kill him _with _Bonnie. She concluded that he probably realized he wouldn't be able to send him to the Other Side on his own- that he would need help, even if he didn't necessarily _want _it.

Bonnie said, "But don't you think you could try to get along?"

Kol replied crisply, "That would require more effort than I'm _willing_ to put in." His voice lowered in volume. "Do you really want me to be like them? A naive young soul looking to save the day? You forget sometimes, I'm not an adolescent or hell, even some young adult finding his way in the world. I've seen _everything _there is to see and believe me, it's not sunshine and rainbows. The world is never gonna live up to anyone's expectations, so you best get used to it." At some point during Kol's ranting, he had brought his face down so it was level with hers.

Bonnie could feel her annoyance rising. "You think we don't know that?! You really believe that we think everything's gonna be okay? Newsflash: _Everyone_ in that house has lost someone they loved. Every time we think life is _finally _taking a turn for the better, the shit hits the fan once again. I think we're all beyond the sunshine and rainbows _bullshit_-" she practically spat the word, "-but at least we try and make the best of it. Not start killing people for sport-"

Kol's mouth was clenched when he cut her off. "You haven't a _clue_ what made me the way I am little girl. Vampires _kill_, it's a part of nature, just like anything else. Humans haven't been at the top of the food chain in a long time darling, you place them on some kind of pedestal, it's ridiculous, as if their _intelligence_ allows them free reign to kill but not _be _killed."

Bonnie retorted, "That's not what I meant-"

Kol straightened to his full height and crossed his arms. "Oh? Do share then."

Bonnie's eyes pierced Kol's. "What I _meant _is- you killed that Mary vampire without even a second thought. You didn't even hesitate, for even a moment, even after knowing her for _so long_. You may not have been attached to her, but the fact is, you _were _human at one point, and so you have humanity in you. You haven't shut it off, and that's what makes this so weird. You have _intelligence_, and you have _empathy_, you don't have to reduce yourself to some primitive monster that can't think for himself. You don't even need to kill to survive, you can just drink your fill-"

"Ah but that's where you're wrong little witch. If you really believe that, you don't know us at all."

She watched him closely. "But I do believe it, you're the one who's ignorant, ignorant of your potential as a something good-"

Kol raised his hands to stop her. "Stop right there. Now you're just talking rubbish."

Bonnie was about to respond until he took a step closer to her. Bonnie resisted the urge to take a step backwards. He swiftly put his right arm around her waist and used his left hand to part her hair from her neck. Bonnie shivered.

"Humans don't have the urge to kill all the time Bonnie, unless their adrenaline kicks in or-" he paused, "they're a psychopath."

He lowered his mouth to her neck. "That's the difference between human and vampire." His words were whispered calmly, as if he was completely detached. Bonnie was trying to lessen the tremor of her heart. She could use magic to stop him, but she waited to see what he would do. _He won't hurt me_. She kept rehearsing that thought in her mind. _I can trust him_.

"The instinct to kill, to spill blood, is _always _there. Some are just better at hiding it."

"Kol let me go," she breathed out.

"In a moment," he murmured. His cold breath on her neck was making her skin break out in goose bumps.

He continued softly, "Your blood is calling to me right now. You may have forgotten about vampires on the Other Side my dear, but here's a little reminder: I could drink you dry right now and _nothing_ would stop me, nothing except the knowledge that I feel I _owe _you for bringing me back." His voice turned gruff. "I can feel your heart racing."

Her _whole body_ was racing. A course of emotions was running through her; fear mostly, but also a streak of trust and empathy. She _knew _he was trying to prove that he was a monster. But a part of her didn't believe it. _She had to know_. And so she resisted the urge to push him away magically.

He slowly released her. When she looked up at his face, she gaped. His pupils had dilated and dark veins surrounded the skin around his eyes. She caught a quick glimpse of his protruding fangs.

"Never forget. _This_-," he said pointing to his face, "-is always itching to be released."

He seemed to be satisfied by her expression because without another word he turned his back to her and started walking away.

"You're wrong you know."

He stopped and whirled to face her. His eyes were normal again. And his fangs were gone. His shoulders and arms remained tense however. A flash of something had appeared in his glance for just a moment. She hadn't had time to decipher it before it was gone. "Believe what you will little witch. I don't have the time or the patience for trivialities."

He resumed walking and headed in the direction of a bright red, classic muscle car parked on the street.

"Hey!" she said, "Where did you get that?"

"Where do you think?" he asked dryly.

She didn't need to ask anything else, she thought ruefully. He had obviously compelled someone.

"Can't you do anything honestly?"

He slid into the driver's seat and started the car.

"Where would be the fun in that?"

He didn't wait for a response and drove off down the street without a backwards glance.

She supposed in a way, he had passed her test. Not for the reasons she hoped though.

* * *

When Bonnie went back inside it was to see the three of her friends in a quiet discussion. They were all frowning. As soon as Caroline saw Bonnie she instantly smiled sheepishly. "Hey Bonnie!" she said loudly.

Jeremy and Tyler stopped whispering and turned to Bonnie's figure standing a few feet away. _Geez, they were way too obvious_. It was clear to everyone in the room that they had been talking about her.

"Uh, hey Caroline" she said staring at her friend.

"So, uh, did he leave then?"

Bonnie smirked. "Yeah, he left."

Caroline seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Bonnie glowered at when she did this. Caroline shrugged. "What? It's not like everyone's not a little bit more relaxed now that he's gone." _I'm not_, Bonnie thought inwardly. In fact, the room seemed oddly dull without Kol's unsettling presence. Which was ridiculous, Bonnie thought. _He did not make for fascinating company_, she drilled inwardly.

Bonnie looked to the others. "Give him a break okay? He's trying." Bonnie was already irritable from her talk with Kol. She really didn't any flak from her friends.

Caroline said abruptly, "Can I talk to you outside?"

Bonnie scowled. "Fine."

She followed Caroline to the front porch. She crossed her arms. "What is it?"

"Listen, I _get_ that you have this whole 'connection' with Kol after bonding on the Other Side and whatnot, but don't you think it's a bit weird that he's in on this? The guy is unpredictable, we don't know him at all-"

"_I_ know him." Bonnie said strongly. When did she get so defensive of Kol? Bonnie blamed it on her crabby mood. She didn't really know him at all. She felt that he _had _changed though. _How much_, was the real question. She took a deep breath. "I know where you're coming from, Caroline but you have to trust me. Maybe this _is_ a bit weird right now, but he's probably only gonna stick around a couple more days to find out more about Silas if he can and then he'll be gone and we'll never see him again."

Caroline had a perplexed expression on her face. "He's really taking hunting down Silas this seriously?" She looked almost impressed.

Bonnie tilted her head slightly and gave a small grin. "Yeah, I guess so."

"You think it's just his love of killing?"

Bonnie laughed. "Mostly." She made a pinch motion with her hand. "But there might be a really tiny portion that just wants to honor his word. I guess these Originals have to have something to hold onto, right?"

At the last comment, Caroline's expression changed. She looked deep in thought, almost solemn. Bonnie suspected it all had to do with one hybrid Original. Part of Bonnie hated Klaus for the conflicted feelings he stirred in Caroline. Caroline had a _nice,_ steady relationship with Tyler and Bonnie didn't want to it ruined over Klaus' infatuation of the week. _That was harsh, _Bonnie knew it was more than that on some level. Klaus had given subtle hints over the last few months that he was fascinated by Caroline. If they were even in the same vicinity, he watched her like a hawk. That still didn't change things though. Even if everyone, including Caroline herself, was ready to forgive Klaus for all of the shitty things he had done- it would be a long haul for them to get anywhere near what was construed as a _healthy relationship, _even just a friendly one.

"So do you think you can tolerate him for just this small amount of time?"

"Ugh! I don't know how you managed to convince me to stand that _jerk_. He seems to get off on pissing us off."

"I think he's just used to it. He's the baby brother of the family so he probably loved causing trouble."

"I can't imagine having him as a brother." She looked revolted. "Maybe that explains why Klaus wanted hybrids instead of his siblings."

Bonnie laughed. "Maybe."

Caroline changed the subject. "How does he even plan on killing him?"

"I have no idea. With the cure gone, your guess is as good as mine. Speaking of which, what happened to Katherine?"

Caroline had a cat-got-the-cream grin. "Oh she hightailed it out of here. You should have seen it. She went to the boarding house and the door was slammed in her face." Caroline sighed. "I've never been so satisfied. I almost wanted to feed on her but Damon said it would taste like spoiled milk." She shrugged. "He was probably right."

That almost made it worth it, Bonnie thought. Even though the only known thing to help kill Silas was gone, it was still satisfying knowing it was given to someone else who had made all their lives hell.

"What are we gonna do, Caroline?"

"What do you mean, I thought you said-"

"No, I mean about Silas. He's gonna come back. I can _feel _it."

Caroline gave her a grim look. "I don't know. I was kind of hoping he would just disappear off the face of the earth."

Bonnie's laugh was bitter. "That's what he wanted before. I get the impression he's got other plans now."

**A/N: Yeah it ended kind of abruptly, but if I went any further it would end up being twice as long. Not a lot happened when you look at it, just a lot of talking. Anyways, I changed Bonnie's birthday. Supposedly it's in february, I thought it would be more appropriate if it was on a potential summer solstice date. It just seems more Bonnie-like. I hope it doesn't feel like I'm rushing anything, especially when it pertains to Kol and Bonnie. Right now, her feelings are mostly platonic and intuitive. He's kind of a mystery for her. As for him, well he's pretty good at concealing pretty much everything. As for the waffles, there's a reason for that as well. Although, that will come later. **


	10. Look Into The Air

**A/N: I would like to thank Fallen Witch Angel, SpringOfMay, leox1214, and xLadyInBluex for your reviews. Some of you have reviewed since the beginning and I'm really grateful. And thanks for your kind words on the last chapter. It gave me a lot more confidence!**

**I hope you enjoy this one. It took forever. The good news is that I know where I'm going with the story now.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD. Or the chapter title for that matter. That belongs to Explosions in the Sky.  
**

Look Into The Air

Bonnie opted to spend the rest of the day with Jeremy. Everyone had decided that they would wait until Elena and Damon had come back before trying to find Stefan. Personally, Bonnie felt things might get worse by their presence since Stefan hadn't contacted either of them in months. He obviously didn't want to see them. _Or maybe not_. Maybe he was hurt and that way why he couldn't talk to them. Bonnie really hoped it was the former. Better being angry than in danger.

When Caroline and Tyler left, Bonnie went to the fridge to fetch a glass of orange juice.

_They're out of juice...and pretty much everything else. _The refrigerator would have been empty were it not for the leftover lasagna, presumably from Caroline, and a couple containers of condiments. Since Jeremy was the only one who technically needed food now, the responsibility was his to keep the kitchen stocked. He had obviously been neglectful.

When she went to see him in the living room, he was playing a video game.

_Some things never change_.

It hadn't even been ten minutes since they had left and he was already at it. Bonnie put her hands on her hips.

"Have you looked in your fridge lately?"

Jeremy's voice sounded distant. "No, why?" His eyes were glued to the television screen.

"Because it's not being used," Bonnie said dryly.

At that, Jeremy paused the game and turned to look at her. His expression was sheepish. "Yeah, uh, I've been meaning to get around to that."

"Well, now's a good time as any," she responded briskly.

"You wanna go grocery shopping?" he looked surprised.

"Jer, I've been cooped up in this house for almost two days, I need to do _something_." Her face was pleading.

"Yeah alright, just let me finish this."

With that, he was entranced in his game once again.

* * *

When they were on the road, Bonnie looked at the side streets and shops closely.

Jeremy was watching her expression.

"It's still the same you know." At her puzzled look he said, "Mystic Falls, I mean."

He added, "I thought the same thing too. That everything might've changed. For some reason, the Other Side feels like an eternity, but it's really not."

"How long did it take you to feel normal?" she asked softly.

"A couple of weeks I guess." He stopped in thought. "I kept thinking I was dreaming but then I would remember- ghosts don't sleep. So I _knew_ it had to be real." He said quietly, "All because of you."

"Well I had to try-" she said awkwardly.

"No, you _didn't_. I was ready to accept my fate, Bonnie. I finally got my goodbyes- that's all I wanted." He added bitterly, "But your stubbornness won out once again."

_Whoa, this was turning serious_.

"Jer-" she started.

"Bonnie listen! I will always be so grateful for _everything_, you've saved me more times than I can count, and I haven't deserved it. When I came back, and you were gone, I couldn't believe it." His voice turned sharp. "You have no idea how _guilty_ I felt, I was less than nothing."

Bonnie looked at him, perplexed.

"You don't need to feel guilty, Jer-"

"Yes I do!" His reaction startled her. He took a deep breath. "_Yes_, I do Bonnie. I'm trying to make a point, okay? I don't want you to do anything like that _ever _again. In the beginning, it was great, you saving the day and all but I could see it started to take its toll on you. The risk became greater, and then it was only a matter of time before it finally _got _you. And it did, just like I thought it would. The fact that both of us came back is a miracle. I don't want us to tempt fate again, alright?" he was breathing harshly.

"What, exactly, are you asking Jeremy?"

"I'm _asking _you to be more careful with your magic Bonnie. You're not invincible; you should know that better than anyone now." He exhaled. "All I want is for you to be responsible and know your limits. Losing you-" he broke off for a second, "it's not gonna happen again."

Her gaze seemed to size him up. She looked to be digesting his words. She finally answered.

"Okay." She smiled. "But can you do something for me?"

"What?"

"Can you stop gripping the steering wheel so hard? If you hold on any tighter, it's gonna break."

His face broke out in a smile.

* * *

"Do we really need eggs?" Jeremy griped.

Bonnie stared at him. "I don't think you understand how serious the state of your kitchen is. That lasagna looked a week old-"

"Hey! It was five days!-"

She continued, "Not to mention the lack of anything _edible_, with the exception of a half-eaten bag of chips I found in the pantry. So _yeah_, we need eggs."

They were standing in front of the cooler. Jeremy was pushing the cart while Bonnie grabbed an egg carton. She quickly checked the eggs before placing them in the cart.

"Do you eat yogurt?" she asked.

Jeremy shuddered, "No that shit is gross."

"Okay, moving on then." She stared a few feet ahead. "Well we definitely need milk. What percentage?"

"One," he answered.

"What about cheese?"

"As long as it's not those kraft sliced things I'm down for anything."

"Oh yeah, those are so gross! It's like eating plastic."

She went over and grabbed a small log of cheddar cheese. "How about this then?"

He nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah that's fine."

"Do you guys have butter or margarine?"

He didn't answer.

"Hey." She had a box of butter in one hand and a container of margarine in the other. "Which one?"

"Oh, uh margarine I guess."

She dropped the margarine in the cart and looked at him closely. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, Jer, what is it?"

"Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking is all."

"About what?"

"I guess I'm just happy you know? For the first time, things are actually okay. I know Silas is still around, which is now always in the back of my mind, but right _here_ right _now_, things are _normal_. It's just nice that we still have _this_," he said gesturing around him.

"What, a grocery store?" she asked sardonically.

"No, _peace_. It's not chaotic."

They looked at each other. One word was popping in both their minds. _Yet. _

Jeremy was right. He was definitely more insightful than he led others to believe. This might be one of the only normal moments of her life before everything went to shit. Especially because she knew that dealing with Silas was inevitable. She knew it was her responsibility; she had brought him up after all.

Bonnie tried breaking the grave atmosphere. "Come on, let's go to the produce section. I have a need for some pineapple."

* * *

When they went up to the till, Bonnie's first inclination was to reach for her debit card. But of course, she didn't have it. It was at her house, where her dad was. She sighed.

Jeremy looked at her oddly. And then realization hit his face. "You're not paying for _my_ groceries Bonnie." He pulled out his wallet. "But you'll need money eventually. Why are you avoiding your dad?"

The cashier was almost at the end of the order.

"I'm not avoiding, _per sé_." The cashier rattled off the total. Jeremy then swiped his card. "I'm just delaying the inevitable."

"What? You think he won't let you leave the house?"

"More like leave my _room_. He doesn't exactly have the greatest memories of me these last few months."

They packed up their groceries and put them in the cart.

"I think you're worrying too much. Just go see him! It'll be a shock, but things'll get normal before you know it."

"I don't know." Her voice sounded uneasy. "Maybe I'll just wait a few more days..."

"Nope. No more delays. I'm dropping you off on the way home." He had a slight smirk on his face.

She looked affronted. "Don't I get a say in this?"

"Nope. Don't you remember? Your mind is all garbled since coming back from the dead. So your judgment can't be trusted." Now he had a full blown grin.

She smacked his arm and seemed to concede. "Jerk."

"It'll be fine. Don't worry!"

She let out a small laugh. "I hope you're right. If you don't see me right away you'll know why."

* * *

"Hey, Jer?"

"Hm?" he had just pulled into her driveway.

"Did you notice anything different when you came back?"

"What, you mean like the town or something?"

"No, I mean, did you feel different? Look at the world differently?"

He thought about it. "If you mean my outlook on life changed, then yes. But I still feel the same. Living day-to-day is just like it used to be. Although it kinda sucks not having the super-strength of a hunter anymore." His eyes met hers. "Is that what you meant?"

She let out a breath. "Not exactly. I feel different, _physically_. It's like I'm more aware of what's going on around me. I swear, my senses are on overdrive sometimes."

His expression changed. "Does it have to do with that witch? Or just the crystal?"

"I think Kazima caused this, but I'm not a hundred percent sure. It certainly _feels_ related to my magic but I don't want to rush to conclusions."

His eyes bore into hers. "Bonnie, this could be really serious. Is it causing you pain?"

"No. It's probably not a big deal. I suppose in a way, it's a good thing. I'll probably sense a vampire a mile away, you know?" she let out a small laugh. "I shouldn't have brought it up. It's not a b-"

"I'm glad you did. If it gets worse, you'll let me know right?"

She eyed him for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I will."

Bonnie exited the car and slammed the door.

She turned and glared down at Jeremy mockingly. "I'm blaming you for anything that happens to me from here on out."

He only laughed. "See you later, Bonnie."

When he drove off, Bonnie took a deep breath and walked up the pathway to the front door. She tried to open it but it was locked. On impulse, she opened it magically. Was she still relying on the spirits? It had been so long that Bonnie almost couldn't tell the difference. She recognized, however, that no physical exertion was applied, so it couldn't be spirit magic. It must be expression then. It just felt _different _somehow. As if she had more control over it. When Bonnie had first started developing her expression abilities, she hadn't noticed the lack of control she had; expression tended to manifest itself and the user until it was too late. At the moment, Bonnie felt the opposite, as if she had control over anything and everything at will. It was a heady experience.

When the door opened, Bonnie stepped inside. The silence was deafening. She could hear every creak in the floorboards, every window rattle from the wind. The house was stuffy. When she took a few steps she could hear the faint sound of a television in the living room down the hallway.

She slowly crept into the room. It was a _mess_. At least compared to the last time she had seen it. And it smelled even worse. There were dishes on the side table, which she suspected-had been there for at least a week. She spotted broken glass in front of one of the sofas and a few pieces of clothing around the room. The recliner was facing the television, which meant she could partially see its user- her dad. When she went to stand beside him, she gaped.

He was asleep. And speaking objectively, he looked like _shit_. His face looked slightly swollen and unshaven. He had dark bags under his eyes. He was wearing some ratty old t-shirt with a few stains on it. Was this really her dad? Where was the spiffy, kempt man permanently in a suit?

Some combination of guilt and sympathy coursed through her. Was this because of _her_? _Duh. _Bonnie mentally slapped herself. Of course it was. Sometimes it was difficult registering how much her father cared because he never really showed his feelings. Yes, he got protective from time to time, but speaking from experience, he acted more like a guardian than an actual father. Adding to that was his excessive work load, which often placed him out of town so Bonnie had seen him rarely as it was. The longest time period she had ever seen him was only recently when he had taken the mayor position. Her father hadn't had a clue about her life when he had strolled back into Mystic Falls. She had resented him for thinking he could suddenly play the father role and that everything would be okay. The fact that he had judged magic so harshly hadn't helped. _And_ tried to interfere on _every _aspect of her life. She guessed however that, in the end, all of that hadn't mattered- because here he was.

She looked at him a little longer before deciding on a course of action. She concluded that she would clean up first before he woke up. And try not to scare the living shit out of him.

When Bonnie gathered all the dishes, she caught a glance of the half empty bottle of scotch an arm's reach away from her father. She promptly picked it up and went into the kitchen. It was even worse in there. She fervently hoped her father hadn't spent the last few weeks like this. But it became more obvious that he had when she saw the state of the rest of the house. Bonnie groaned inwardly, _this was gonna take a while_.

* * *

Surprisingly, her father never woke when she was cleaning. Even after all the racket she made, he never once moved an inch. The first thing she did was open the windows to let some air in. When she was finally done with the living room and the kitchen, she decided she would make him some food. Since his refrigerator was as sparse as Jeremy's, the only choice she had was eggs and toast.

While she was frying up the eggs, she decided that enough was enough. If he wasn't going to wake, she was going to do it herself. She lightly tapped her father on the shoulder. Nothing. She nudged him. Not even a wink. She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Dad, wake up!"

Bonnie might have thought he was dead were it not for the light snoring.

Bonnie went right up to her father's ears and bellowed loudly, "Oi! Pop! Wake up!"

Her father's look was priceless. His eyes burst open from the sudden noise and took in his surroundings. It was only then that he realized who was standing right in front of him. And he backed further into the couch.

"What the f-" he rasped out.

She cut him off and tsked. "We're not supposed to swear. I put a lot of money in that swear jar, you know."

His eyes were practically jutting out of his head. And then they started watering. _Oh no, don't do that_.

His voice was hoarse. "Am I dreaming? Or h-hallucinating? Because I swear this is my daughter standing in front of me." He started blubbering, which was definitely _not _Rudy-like. "Bonnie?"

She kneeled in front of him. Her eyes were starting to tear up as well. "Hey dad." She cracked a watery smile.

"Can you stay? Just a little longer?" His eyes shut and then opened again. "It must be a dream. I never thought I was crazy but maybe I am."

Bonnie laughed. "You're not crazy dad. This isn't a dream or hallucination."

"Then you're a ghost." He started wiping his face. His eyes widened when he realized the reality of that statement.

"No, I'm not." She grabbed his hand. "I'm _real_, I came back dad. Like from the great blue yonder, you know?"

His gaze drew down to their joined hands. His expression was dumbfounded.

"It's okay, dad. I know it seems crazy, but in a world full of witches and vampires, what's wrong with a little resurrection?"

His hand rose and cradled her face. "So you're still the same?" his voice cracked.

Tears were rolling down her face. "Yeah, I'm still the same."

They stared at each other a little while longer before Bonnie smelled the smoke. "Oh shit! I forgot about the eggs." She burst into the kitchen.

Rudy cleared his throat. In his best authoritative voice, he said, "It's still 25 cents a swear Bonnie."

* * *

When Bonnie realized there was no saving the eggs, she told her dad to go shower and _shave_ while she made another batch. She would have just ordered pizza but after finding several half-eaten pizza boxes, she decided her dad needed something mildly nutritious.

When Bonnie kept picturing her father's face after he had woken, she made a conscious decision to take better care of herself. Not only because her life was at stake, but her father's wellbeing as well. She couldn't seem to forget the vacant emptiness she had seen in his eyes. She knew that eventually, he would have gotten over her death, or at the very least, accepted it on some level, but she could not handle seeing him like that ever again. He had been _broken, _a shadow of who he had been before. The confident, reserved man had been gone and been replaced by a lost soul. Grief was a natural thing, but turning to alcohol and becoming a sedentary vegetable was not the way to go about it. If this was his method of coping, he seriously needed to consider another options. Like a therapy group or something.

She was just buttering the toast when Rudy walked through the doorway.

_Now that's better_.

Although his face still bore the faint signs of exhaustion, his appearance had greatly improved. He was clean shaven, _didn't_ smell bad, and was wearing clean clothing.

He walked over and held onto her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Whoever brought you back, I'll be in debt to them for the rest of my life," he murmured softly.

_I don't know about that_, Bonnie thought inwardly. Kazima seemed pretty shady.

"It doesn't matter now, dad. Just know that I love you."

"I love you too sweetheart."

For a moment, Bonnie thought he was never going to let her go, until finally, his arms loosened enough and he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I still can't believe this is happening. That you're real." His voice was full of wonder.

Bonnie felt slightly awkward. It was just _little old_ her. He was being so intense, it was weird. Sometimes she didn't realize how long she'd been gone. Although when you thought about it, two months wasn't really that long. Maybe when you missed someone, it felt like an eternity.

"How did this happen?" he asked quietly.

"Why don't you sit down and I'll explain it all."

* * *

While Rudy filled himself with eggs and toast, Bonnie rehashed the details on her return. She was beginning to get comfortable telling the story now. Although she omitted _even_ more details this time around. She didn't want her dad freaking out about all the risks and the emotional upheaval she had experienced, so she basically summed it up as a chance meeting with Kol and Kazima and phrased it so that Kazima practically resurrected Bonnie and Kol herself.

Her father immediately started asking questions about Kol. Bonnie answered as vaguely as she could without sounding suspicious. The less her dad knew the better. She was definitely not portraying him in the most _accurate_ light. She painted him as a kind-hearted vampire who wanted to seek atonement and live his life positively. If her father knew the truth, he would be beyond pissed.

She also didn't delve too much into the Silas bit. She did not want him worrying about _that_. He had been overprotective enough when it came to her magic, let alone her trying to take out a two thousand year old vampire with vengeance on his mind.

When Rudy was finished eating, Bonnie asked, "Do you want to go for a walk? I need some fresh air. And so do you."

He smiled self-consciously. "I guess I do, huh?"

Bonnie grinned. "I'd say so."

They stood up and Bonnie grabbed his plate and placed it in the sink. It was a hot day outside so they only put their shoes on.

The sunlight made welcoming contact with her skin.

They were walking in silence for a while before Bonnie finally spoke.

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"When did mom leave?"

He didn't answer right away. "Right after we found out the truth." He let out a shaky breath. "It was like a blow to the head. I wanted to _kill_ that Gilbert boy when I found out he'd been lying to us about your whereabouts." He sighed. "You have to know how difficult it was for your mother. She knew abandoning you as a child was bad enough, but not being able to prevent your _death _was unforgivable in her eyes. The guilt was killing her Bonnie, so she left to escape it all."

"Do you know where she went?"

"Not a clue. I'm hoping she'll contact me, but it will probably be a while knowing your mother."

_He was right_. Her mom was known for a lot of things, but facing reality was not one of them.

They were quiet after that. It was a comfortable silence though. Bonnie became acutely aware of the breeze against her skin and the birds chirping in the background. She felt balanced, at _home_, when she was like this.

When they made it back to the house, Bonnie took a close look at her dad. He looked more at ease. Like weights had been lifted off his shoulders.

Looking at him now made her realize how much she had taken for granted. Even though he had never really been there for her, she knew the kind of blow her death had dealt him. He kept watching her intently, as if he didn't want to let her out of his sight. Bonnie decided to concede to his unstated request. She spent the next few hours with her dad, just talking mostly. They both did a bit of cleaning on the rest of the house. They ended up watching a movie and her dad fell asleep not long after.

It_ was_ getting kind of late. Bonnie had planned on making supper but she didn't want to wake her dad. She put a blanket on him and went into her room. Everything was still the same. She liked to think of her room as a mix between bohemian and girly-girl. The blankets on her bed were an intricate print reminiscent of gypsies but she had a poster of Ryan Gosling on her wall. Her very ancient desk was a dark mahogany covered with candles and Bennett historical objects but she had a whole stack of stuffed animals on her dresser. It sort of demonstrated the two sides of Bonnie Bennett. On one hand, she was like any other teenage girl. She had good friends, she strived to do well in school, and she had gone to plenty of drunken parties. On the other hand, she was an inquisitive witch who wanted to surpass her limits. She was lacking in confidence in her abilities but would still do what it took to save her friends.

In some ways, the room felt alien to her. She couldn't positively say that that was _her _anymore. She really had no idea who she was. It was too late for her to be some naive teenager. That was long past. But she also wasn't the hardened witch who had lost her grandmother. She no longer viewed things in terms of her against the world. In black and white. At one point, Bonnie had felt like every vampire was her enemy. That was not the case now. She didn't really have a vendetta against anyone anymore. She wasn't about to be best friends with Damon or anything, but she didn't hate him. As a likable person though, he left much to be desired, and that was something she still dealt with. She was still going to be weary around vampires, but the harsh judgment she had reserved for them was much lower.

With that, Bonnie made a decision.

She would definitely have to change her room. The Ryan Gosling poster was staying though.

* * *

Bonnie had planned on going back to Jeremy's after visiting her dad but she ended up staying the night. She was dead tired and wanted to sleep in her own bed. It was odd how comforting that one simple thing could be. She would have sent him a text message but her phone was long gone along with her old body. That was an even more creepy thought- that her other body was bones and dust now. Bonnie ignored that morbid thought and made a mental note to get another phone tomorrow.

Bonnie's last thought before she fell asleep was her hope that Jeremy didn't take her words seriously about not showing up.

When Bonnie got out of bed the next morning, she could smell bacon and eggs. She was practically salivating. When she strode into the kitchen like a zombie with her hair in disarray, her father took one look at her and turned back to cooking.

She took a long glance at her dad. He was dressed pretty spiffy.

"Where are you off to today?" She was smiling. Her dad finally looked like his old self.

"I have a meeting with Sheriff Forbes."

"Really?" He started serving the food on plates. Bonnie grabbed two mugs and filled them with fresh coffee.

"I have to convince her that I'm still suitable as Mayor." He placed the food on the table and they both sat down.

"Oh." Bonnie paused in thought. She guessed he had been AWOL for a while. "I'm guessing she didn't know-"

"No, she doesn't, or didn't anyways."

"You could always tell her, you know."

"I'd rather not, Bonnie." He gave a small smile. "It's better if we leave that behind us."

"Won't argue with you there." With that, Bonnie dug in. After a few bites, she said, "You won't lose your job, will you?"

"I've been gone almost ten days, which is big deal for a public figure, but I'm sure once I sort things out it will be fine."

Bonnie hoped so. It wouldn't be fair if he lost his job because of grief. Especially because no one knew about it. In one of the worst moments of his life, he hadn't had anyone to talk to; no one to lean on.

Bonnie supposed he had his other job speaking at conferences and seminars but that would mean he would be away once again. For once, Bonnie wanted him to stick around. They were finally getting closer after so many years. All it took for that to happen was her death, she thought sardonically.

* * *

After her father left, Bonnie tried to find her car keys. She had seen her prius parked outside. Luckily her dad hadn't gotten around to selling it just yet. She finally found them in one of the kitchen drawers. She quickly changed and went outside.

It felt a bit odd driving after so long but she quickly got the hang of it.

The first thing Bonnie did was get a new phone. She went to her provider in the only strip mall and got the smart phone with the best deal. If it was anything like her old phone then she was happy. That and great coverage. Considering her somewhat reckless and dangerous lifestyle she needed a reliable phone.

Bonnie was outside in the parking lot when she spotted a very _familiar_ looking vehicle across the street. It also happened to be parked in front of one of the seediest bars in the Mystic Falls area.

_Seriously? _Bonnie debated on whether or not she should satisfy her curiosity. _Screw it_. Bonnie figured she'd be in and out in five minutes tops. She didn't bother driving because it was so close.

When Bonnie walked in the oh-so charming pub, the smell overwhelmed her. It was a _lovely_ combination of smoke, beer, and she suspected, urine. Her eyes scanned the place for the figure she was expecting to find. She didn't see him right away. She had to walk further inside before she saw him sitting in a corner.

"Don't you think this place is a bit low, even for you?" she asked.

He scoffed. "Can't a bloke have a pint in peace?"

"Not today. Besides, I'll only be a minute."

"I'm not drowning in my sorrows, if that's what you're inferring."

She laughed. "Believe me, that wasn't my first thought."

"Then what do you want?" he murmured gruffly.

"I thought I'd let you know that we're probably going to look for Stefan today."

"What? You thought I'd want to tag along? I think I'll pass." He took a swig of his beer.

She put her hands on her hips. "Don't you want to know what happened to him?" _Why am I even bothering? _She was mostly just trying to help him out but a part of her also wanted him to feel welcome. He wasn't exactly showing gratitude for her kind gestures.

"Darling, I think the Salvatores have enough people kissing their asses. I'm not about to join them."

"You know it's not like that." She was now frowning. "I think you know that Stefan's disappearance is related to Silas. Whatever he has to say is going to be important."

"Well if that's the case then you can just tell me, can't you?"

"So you can just sit on your ass in this lovely place?" She let out a short laugh. "I'm not gonna help you if you're planning on being lazy and drunk."

"I'll have you know that I just got here." His expression was priceless. He couldn't look more offended. "I happen to have the greatest tolerance for alcohol. Being my age has its advantages in case you weren't aware."

She grinned. "I'm sure it does. But there are also, uh, disadvantages, to being _old." _

His eyes narrowed into slits. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She smirked. _Don't say it. Don't say it._ "Oh you know, you get _soft_ in certain _areas. _I've heard it can be quite emasculating-"

He growled and stood up. "That's it." He had some sort of evil grin on his face. She hadn't meant for him to react this way, she had been joking.

He walked right up to her and pushed her against the wall. He said easily, "I can assure you, _Bonnie_, that I am more than able to perform the duties of any young man." Although his face had been mocking, it was now starting to turn serious.

He seemed to be aware of their precarious position. His tall form enclosed her own. The scent of him surrounded her, a combination of pinewood and warm spice assailed her nostrils. She vaguely thought that odd, considering she found him indoors in a smelly bar.

The swift change in Kol was startling. She knew she had been treading on dangerous ground when she made that comment. Had she purposefully tried to challenge him? His face was pressed in serious lines. She hadn't answered him, just stared closely at his eyes. They were glazed, as if he were in a trance. Eventually, the telltale veins around his eyes crept up. _Okay, time to end this_.

"Kol? Kol?". Suddenly, his face slackened its tension and he looked around. He seemed to be registering his surroundings. He looked shocked at his own actions and immediately released her.

His voice was hoarse. "You better leave. I'm not up for any more banter."

The sound of Bonnie's footsteps was the only sign she had moved.

* * *

Bonnie took a deep breath when she left the bar. _What was that? _She had never regretted a decision more. The situation had gone from joking exchanges to intense manhandling in a matter of seconds. Was this what dealing with Kol entailed? Granted, she hadn't expected to elicit such a reaction out of Kol, but she was being deliberately naive by thinking he wouldn't react even a little bit violently when he was known for it. It was just odd because she knew he hadn't intended on reacting so intensely. She could tell that he had just meant to intimidate her but that had changed swiftly. His hands on her shoulders had been crushing; his cold breath on her face had dazed her. He was known for his impulsive nature, so combining that with vampirism made for a pretty unpredictable and volatile character.

Bonnie crossed the street in a stupor. _I am such an idiot_. Next time she saw his car, she was just going to look the other way and mind her own damned business.

Bonnie was still reprimanding herself when she sped off.

* * *

Bonnie had managed to calm down by the time she reached Jeremy's house.

Kol was all but forgotten when Bonnie spotted Damon's camaro in the driveway. _Oh shit. _She was really not prepared for a reunion right now. She had already been through, what, like three or four if one counted every time she had started crying. Not that Damon would get emotional. But Damon being there meant Elena _was _as well. Bonnie grit her teeth and thought, _just get it over with_.

Bonnie didn't try to analyze why she didn't want to see them.

She walked up the front porch and took a deep breath. She was about to knock when the door was jerked open. A figure with long, _dark _hair attached itself to her person instantly.

When Bonnie spoke, it was muffled. "Elena. Elena, I c-can't breathe."

Elena immediately released her, but not before giving her one last crushing embrace. When Bonnie looked at her face, it was covered in tears. _Oh no, don't do that_.

She was hiccupping when she finally spoke. "I can't believe you're b-back. After everything that happened-" she broke off and started taking a few harsh breaths. "We thought we'd lost you, and yet, here you are." More tears continued to fall.

When Bonnie felt her own tears roll down her cheeks, she thought,_ that's it, this is the last time._

Elena dragged her inside with unhuman force.

A familiar voice droned, "Well if it isn't my _favourite _Bennett."

Bonnie looked up and found herself staring into a pair of familiar piercing blue eyes. Elena shoved her from behind into Damon. He wrapped his arms around her. The familiar scent of leather filled her senses.

_Wow this is strange. _

Bonnie awkwardly returned the hug. He muttered quickly, "Took you long enough. Any longer, and I wouldn't have known what to do about her."

She stared angrily up at him. For some reason, his nonchalant comment bothered her. As if only Elena's wellbeing was important, when it was _she _who had died. She had been living in hell, so to speak, for almost two months and he still only managed to think about Elena. She was about to respond with a sharp comment until she looked at him closely, and saw that most of it was an act. He was trying to hide it, but she caught the concerned, intent gleam in his eyes before it disappeared. Seeing Damon out of sorts was a novel experience. And one she could certainly appreciate.

Damon lowered his arms from around her a moment later. He was either way overconfident in her abilities or he was trying to make light of a serious situation. Bonnie knew it to be the latter.

Bonnie looked back at Elena. Although the tears had stopped, she was still quietly sobbing.

"I still can't believe this-" she started again.

Damon interrupted, "You have so little confidence in our witch's abilities? I knew all along-"

Bonnie smacked him and rolled her eyes. "Save it, Damon."

Damon was about to retort when Jeremy walked in.

"So I guess you survived your dad?"

Bonnie smiled. "Yeah, it was nice actually." She put on a perplexed face. "We're usually at odds about everything but we didn't fight once."

He sighed loudly. "That's what happens when you die. Take for instance Elena, she _finally _stopped nagging me about the-"

"Hey!" Elena knocked him on the head. Jeremy was laughing. "I do not _nag. _Excuse me if you don't know how to load a dishwasher."

"Hey you're the vampire. You're gonna do it twice as fast as me anyways."

Elena sniffled and stuck her tongue out at him.

She then turned to Bonnie. Her face looked serious. "Jer told me what happened. About you trying to keep it all a secret."

Bonnie glared at Jeremy. "He did, did he?" He looked mildly ashamed and wouldn't meet her eyes.

Elena went into maternal mode. "Yeah, he did. I can't believe you would do that. Don't get me wrong, I'll never be more grateful for Jer being back but not if it means you have to sacrifice yourself in the process."

Bonnie turned back to Jeremy. Now he looked smug. _They had probably rehearsed this. _

"Look, I'm sorry Elena but I couldn't just ruin everything. Everyone was so happy, I didn't want to drop this bomb on everyone."

"You knew we had a right to know. You can't exactly keep something like _that_ a secret forever."

Bonnie sighed. "Yeah, I guess I just wanted to delay the inevitable."

Elena seemed to digest that and said, "He also told us about how you came back. About the crystal and the old witch."

Damon added. "Yeah, it seems you've made quite a few _friends_ on the Other Side. Including a certain _Original _who tried to kill me-" he glared, "-in case you've forgotten."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "You obviously use the word friend lightly, because all we did was help each other out. In case you didn't notice, I'm alive partly because of him."

"Yeah, and so is _he,_" he replied scornfully.

"Oh I'm sorry. Should I have consulted your feelings on this? Poor little Damon and his _ego_. Just because Kol kicked your ass more than a few times-"

"Enough!" Elena cut in. She turned to Damon. "I'm not exactly _thrilled_ at Kol's return either but if it means Bonnie's alive then I'll take it."

Bonnie murmured, "He promised that he wouldn't hurt you guys." She made a pointed look at Damon. "Although he didn't mention you," She added bitingly.

"Did he really say that?" Elena asked.

Bonnie looked meaningfully at Jeremy. "Yeah, Jer obviously left that part out."

Jeremy had that shameful look on his face. He replied defensively, "Well it's not as if we can trust his word. He definitely changed his mind that one time, when he tried to _chop_ my arms off."

"Yeah, and has he hurt you once since then?" Bonnie asked sharply.

Jeremy grudgingly replied, "Well, _no_ but-"

"And there you have it. The Other Side has changed him, I promise. And if he ever made a move to hurt any of you, I'll just pop some blood vessels, okay?"

She all looked purposely at them and continued, "I'm sick of all this Kol talk. This isn't why I came over. I'm sure Jeremy's told you about Silas."

Elena nodded. "He said that there's no way he's desiccating right now because that spell stopped working when you died."

"So, Stefan hasn't tried contacting you _once_?"

Damon gave a slight nod. "I've tried calling him but it goes straight to voicemail not to mention his mailbox is always full so I know he hasn't even listened to his messages."

Bonnie gave them a serious look. "I want you guys to be prepared if something did happen to Stefan, okay? If I can't trace him, we have to be ready for the worst."

The truth of her words set in. Damon was trying to maintain a stoic facade but ended up failing. It was hard to miss the terrified expression that passed his face before he controlled himself. Elena looked shocked and near tears when Bonnie said this. Jeremy looked concerned and upset, but not nearly as much as Elena.

"I don't know what we would do without you Bonnie. We'd never find Stefan if..." she trailed off.

_You hadn't come back. _For some reason, that comment rubbed Bonnie the wrong way. Elena was trying to show gratitude, but Bonnie felt slightly offended that Elena was only showing appreciation for her as a _witch_. Bonnie knew that Elena loved her, but she couldn't help but feel that she didn't appreciate her as a real person, as someone with feelings. Although she just got here, Elena still hadn't asked Bonnie about how she felt about coming back. She only hoped that she could confide to Elena in private, but it was doubtful. Weren't friends supposed to do that? Maybe Bonnie was just being too sensitive. She sometimes felt that her friendship with Elena was weakening as time went on and that they were just growing apart. Bonnie only hoped that once they didn't have Silas to deal with, that things would go back to normal. Bonnie acknowledged that these feelings stemmed from Elena's period when her humanity was gone. Prom had been a disaster on a grand scale. She had thought their friendship would never recover but somehow it had reassembled, but just barely. It would be a long time before they were as close as they were before.

Pushing aside any more resentful thoughts, Bonnie offered a consoling expression. "It's okay Elena. The point is that I _am _here. We'll find him."

"Don't you need something of his to track him?" Damon asked.

Bonnie shook her head. After Kol's comment about her new magic, she decided to give it a shot. It might even be more accurate than her usual locator spell. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She focused on Stefan's essence, his aura, so to speak. A jolt startled her. Images started flashing in her mind. _Water_. _Trapped_.

Bonnie heard herself gasping.

"Bonnie, what's wrong?"

_He was drowning?_ She could practically feel the water entering her lungs.

"Bonnie?!"

Bonnie became aware that she was moving. Although her eyes were closed, she could still _see_. An intuitive force was guiding her to the front door. She could vaguely hear the footsteps following behind her.

_He was in pain_. It was _unbearable_.

She walked slowly down the front steps and stopped when she was bathed in sunlight. _That was it_. Her magic then took on a life of its own, naturally drawing on the energy of the Sun. Bonnie was too busy being in awe of what was happening to try and understand it. It was paralyzing.

Everything suddenly became acute. She could feel the cool air wafting from the river. She saw the fish swimming past the safe. She heard the harsh sounds of the water lapping from the waterfall as if she were right next to it.

Bonnie's eyes burst open in shock.

"I know where he is."

Bonnie took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. She could feel her hands trembling.

They waited for her to elaborate but Bonnie was lost in the images that haunted her. The agony and distress he was going through was overwhelming. _How had he endured this? _The answer was simple. _He had no choice. _Vampires couldn't die without a weapon. Imagining the cycle of drowning and healing over and over made Bonnie want to cringe in anguish. For a moment, his pain had been hers and she hadn't been able to block it. The instant she was outside she had felt it on an unparallel level. _She had been there_, right alongside him.

The need to help overrode any other thoughts.

"We have to go help him," she said desperately.

Elena's eyes widened anxiously. "Where is he?" she asked quickly.

"By the Fish Creek river." _Or in it_, she thought dreadfully. She thought it best not to mention that and worry them further.

"Alive?" she asked quietly.

Bonnie just nodded.

Damon and Jeremy were looking at her strangely.

Jeremy started, "Bonnie, you were-"

Damon cut him off. "Then lead the way Judgey. We're getting him _now_."

Bonnie stared at him meaningfully. "You're going to need lots of blood bags."

* * *

Jeremy and Bonnie were waiting on the front porch for Elena to fetch her car keys. She thought it was best to take her SUV in case there was any rough terrain.

Jeremy said, "Bonnie, were you aware that you were, like, glowing earlier?"

Bonnie stared at him oddly. "You mean metaphorically? That's nice Jer but-"

He interrupted. "No, you were _actually _glowing, like emitting real light. It was amazing, but kinda freaky, you know?"He was silent a moment. "I've seen you do a lot of things but _never _anything like that," he murmured in a low voice.

Bonnie wasn't sure how to respond to that. She had never _felt _anything like that before either. Was she some kind of empathetic psychic now? The amount of details she had known was startling. She had thought that she would simply get an inkling to Stefan's location but now knew every _single _detail, down to the nearest tree. What was it about the Sun? It was as if her magic relied on it now to become stronger. Not only that, but it felt like the rays were piercing down into her soul. _What the hell was going on? _Bonnie thought she was going crazy.

They walked down the front steps when Elena came out the front door. She was clutching her keys.

Bonnie was about to follow them to the SUV when she spotted Kol's Challenger parked down the street. He was just getting out and heading towards her. As soon as Elena saw Kol she instinctively moved in a flash. She was immediately right beside Bonnie.

"Why is he here Bonnie?" Her voice was tinged with exasperation and unease.

She grabbed Elena's hand. "It's okay." Bonnie tried comforting Elena through touch. "He's okay. He's not gonna hurt you or Jeremy." Elena looked down at Bonnie and she knew she had succeeded. Awareness dawned on Elena's face. When she let go of Bonnie, she seemed surprised by her own reaction. Bonnie was as well. She thought it would take a lot more convincing than that.

Elena's face became neutral once again.

"He is _not _coming in my car."

She turned her back and went in the driver's seat.

Bonnie supposed it was good that they were avoiding each other. It probably wouldn't take long before one of them became irritable and a fight broke out.

Bonnie walked quickly up to Kol. "What are you doing here?"

He muttered, "I just wanted to say that I'm-"

Bonnie didn't have the patience for this and cut him off. "Come on you dolt. I know where Stefan is."

She grabbed his hand and dragged him to her prius.

Jeremy followed.

"He's coming with us?!" he asked incredulously.

Bonnie stared at Jeremy. "Yes, he's coming with us. Although it's doubtful-" she made a pointed look at Kol,"-we may end up needing his help."

Kol was smirking in amusement. "I call shotgun."

When Bonnie sat in the driver's seat she could have slapped herself. Had Kol been about to apologize? And she had been the idiot to interrupt him at the most colossal moment in history. _Moron_. She could have been milking it for all it was worth but she had interrupted him before those glorious words had exited his mouth. Bonnie sighed.

_Oh well. _

**A/N: So I hope the story is coming along nicely for those reading. I needed to get things settled with Bonnie before the plot can really get going so this was necessary. And I'm not an Elena-hater if anyone gets that impression. I do however, acknowledge that she has been a pretty terrible friend the last couple of seasons. Even those that adore Elena cannot possibly be blind to that. I'm hoping season five improves on that but it's doubtful. I don't even know if I will continue to watch the show. It's looking pretty abysmal on Bonnie's end. **


End file.
